Silence Is Golden Unless
by SquirlK
Summary: Spike has a problem. He's not telling anyone what it is. Is there anyone who can help? Complete!
1. Silence Is Golden Unless

Silence Is Golden Unless…

Disclaimer: Don't own em, wish I did.

Reviews: Yes, please. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Just an idea that wouldn't leave me alone. Have to admit I wasn't sure where it was gonna go until I talked to Wayward Childe, now I have a couple more chaps plotted. So thanks to my partner in crime, my muse, Wayward. Dude, you rock.

Anyway, I'm putting it out there. Love it? Hate it? Drop a word and let me know.

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Spike was bored. Not just bored but Bored with a capital B. He lounged in his chair at the research table picking at his chipped nail polish and waited for something interesting to happen. Giles had refused to give him a book in the mistaken belief that either Spike couldn't read or if he could, he wouldn't understand the text. Spike gave a quiet snort at the thought; he probably understood the text in most of the books better than the watcher did. The Scoobies were researching the latest baddie in Sunnyhell and Buffy had told Spike she wanted him to come around in case she needed him to help fight it. Finally Giles swung a book around to show a picture to Buffy.

"That would be the one." The petite blonde slayer declared. "His ugliness itself." She made a face at the remembrance of the large ugly demon that had almost squashed her the night before.

"Let me see." Spike requested quietly, reaching for the book. He knew quite a lot of demons and almost as many demonic languages.

Buffy glared at the blond vampire. "I don't need your opinion of it, I just want you to kill it." She snapped.

"I'll have you know…" Spike's indignant statement was interrupted by Xander.

"Save it Evil Dead, it's not as if you'd know what it was." The male Scooby sniped.

"If you'd just let me…" Again Spike was interrupted.

Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them with his handkerchief. "Spike, I assure you I'm quite capable of identifying the demon."

"I'm sure you are but if I could just…" Spike tried one more time, his voice rising in his agitation.

"Do you think it would be possible for you to just _shut up_?" Buffy asked Spike heatedly. His eyes widened at her tone. He stood up.

"_Fine_!" He pulled the book over amid the slayer's protests. "But I _do_ know what it is, I _speak_ its language _and_ I know how to _kill_ it but if you _think_ I'm gonna help you with it now you're sadly **_mistaken_**."

He glared scathingly at the watching humans. "In fact…" He stopped abruptly. He looked around the table at the Gobsmacked expressions of the gang. Tara was watching him with uncertainly in her large eyes. Willow had hostility written all over her pretty face. Xander was glaring at him the way he normally did. Dawn was watching from the corner Buffy had directed her to sit in. The teenager was very familiar with the vampire's temper and was amazed he'd lasted as long as he had without losing it. Buffy was openmouthed with shock that he dared speak to her that way. Giles was watching him with speculation in his green gaze. Anya had observed the entire altercation with interest and a bit of sympathy as she was frequently overlooked even though she had over a thousand years of demonic knowledge to her credit.

Spike glanced at the open book once more. With a smirk he slammed it shut, the noise making the humans jump. Snatching his duster from the back of the chair he'd been sitting in he swirled it around and let it slide down his arms with a flair. He stalked over to the front door and paused to cast a hate-filled look back at the stunned group. He tipped them a single fingered salute and left, his black leather duster flaring out behind him.

Clem jumped a foot when the crypt door slammed open and just as viciously slammed shut. He watched as his friend picked up a bottle that had been discarded by the door and threw it into the opposite wall. The floppy skinned demon ducked as the vampire began to systematically destroy his own home. What scared Clem the most was that Spike was doing it in complete silence. He'd seen Spike's temper tantrums before but they'd always been accompanied by vitriolic cursing of the slayer and her friends. He'd been impressed many times with Spike's sheer range of human and demonic curses. This time was different, Clem could see the rage in Spike's sapphire eyes. The peaceful demon watched in dismay as his best friend ripped, tore and smashed every possession he could get his hands on in complete silence. Finally there was nothing left. Spike stood in the center of the debris with his head bowed and shoulders heaving as he gulped in unneeded breaths.

"Um…Spike? Are you okay?" Clem ventured the uncertain question softly. The blond vampire's head snapped up in surprise. Shock flared in his eyes at the sight of his friend. Spike tipped his head back and closed his eyes. A defeated chuckle broke from the stretched throat. He shook his head and glanced over at the one being he could call a friend.

Clem tilted his head in confused concern. Spike's chuckle had been silent. There was something seriously wrong with the blond vampire.


	2. Shut Up Spike

Shut Up Spike

Disclaimer: Don't own em, just playin with em.

Summary: Spike can't speak, why?

Reviews: Yes, please. The response to this fic has been mind-blowing. Thank you so much. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: For those loyal readers who are waiting for an update to Squirly Childe's fic 'With Every Decision', please be patient. The primary writer of this fic, Wayward Childe, has had a family emergency and while he's able to keep his creativity going with a few drabbles, his stress levels are a little too high to deal with any of his or our larger projects. Please keep checking, he'll be back into the writing soon and we'll be treated to more of his amazing imagination.

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Clem watched Spike with increasing concern as his friend walked dispiritedly over to sit on the small sofa he'd pinched from the dump. Spike's gaze caught his own as he sat down. Clem was shocked to see rage, fear and distress displayed so eloquently in the sapphire depths.

"Spike? You can't talk?" Clem ventured a guess.

Spike's head bowed low as he shook it.

"Do you know how?" Clem asked.

Again the platinum head indicated a no. Spike slumped back on the cushions, tipped his head back and flung an arm over his eyes.

Clem looked around the destroyed room. Finally he spotted something that would help. He picked his way over the broken glass to the scraps of paper and flipped other bits of trash to find the pen he knew had been with the paper. He went back to the sofa and sat down next to his buddy.

"Spike, I found some paper. Can you tell me when this happened?" Clem held the items out hesitantly.

Spike lowered his arm and reached out for the paper and pen. 'About twenty minutes ago. After I left the Magic Box, was taking some stress out on a Garracki demon and telling it…I don't know exactly, was just yelling. You know? Anyway, my voice just stopped.' He handed the paper back and Clem read it.

"It just stopped? You didn't get hit in the throat? You didn't crack it while you were yelling?" The first question received a nod, the others were met with negative shakes of the blond head.

"Should I go get the Slayer? Maybe they can help you figure out what happened." The vigorous head-shaking that started almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth startled Clem.

Spike grabbed the paper and scribbled furiously, handing the scrap back forcefully.

Clem read the message worriedly. He noticed that Spike's elegant script had been replaced in his agitation by a hasty scrawl. 'Do NOT tell anyone! Especially that bitch and her mates. I'd rather be mute until I dust before I go to them for help again.'

"Oookay." Clem said slowly. "There isn't anyone I can ask for help?"

Spike snatched the paper again. 'What could they DO?' He looked Clem in the eyes. The peaceful demon was distressed by the defeat in Spike's gaze.

"I don't know, Spike. We can't just leave you like this." He said finally.

Spike shrugged, his shoulders hunching under his duster. He scrubbed his hand down over his face and stood up. He pointed at the trap door.

"Going to bed?" Clem asked. The blond nodded without meeting his friend's gaze again.

"Can I get you anything?" The red eyes followed the vampire as he walked across the debris to the hole that lead to the lower level. Spike paused at the opening. He shook his head before disappearing into the darkness below.

Clem sat deep in thought for a long while before getting up with a sigh and beginning to clear up the destruction left by the enraged, silent vampire.

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Earlier in the Magic Box.

Stunned silence followed Spike's departure. Buffy pulled the book back to her side of the table. "I can't believe he lost the page." She fumed.

Giles took the book from the slayer and leafed through the text until he found the picture again. He read the description of the demon and shook his head.

Xander drummed his fingers on the table in agitation. "Can you believe the way he talked to us? What's with him?"

Anya frowned. "Maybe he's a Master Vampire who's over a hundred years old and he might know what he's talking about sometimes."

Giles removed his glasses to clean them. He wasn't sure but he thought maybe he, no they all, had underestimated Spike's knowledge. The vampire was an annoyance but he _was_ over a century old and hadn't survived that long by being stupid. It's just that he acted so…_juvenile_ sometimes it was easy to forget that he was much older than all of them except…well, Anya. Giles winced as he realized he _might_ have made a mistake. But, he rationalized, he had no _reason_ to believe that Spike had any more extensive demonic knowledge than any one else. He'd known that the bleached menace could speak at least one demonic language, Fyarl. He pinched the bridge of his nose and made a difficult decision. He shook his head. He would not give Spike any reason to be any more of a pain in the ass than he already was so he, Giles, would not overtly acknowledge that the irritating vampire had any sort of vast knowledge. He would wait and observe the vampire to assess the extent of his intelligence. He could only hope this decision would not come back to bite him in the ass, literally.

Tara had watched the entire exchange with trepidation. She could see Spike's aura and the colors he exuded were unlike any she'd ever seen in the few vampires she'd had the misfortune to encounter. She glanced at Willow's tense features before ducking her head and letting her hair fall, hiding her face. She wished she knew what Willow was thinking. They had been doing a small bit of quarrelling lately and the blonde witch was fearful that she was losing her lover to the dark magic she could see inching its way into the redhead's aura. She shivered.

Willow felt the irrational anger she'd been fighting for several days. She and Tara had had several devastating arguments lately and it was only through the judicious use of a memory spell had the redhead kept her love from leaving. She could feel the pull of the magic that Tara had tried to convince her was dangerous but felt oh so wonderfully powerful. Willow didn't think she'd ever felt anything as amazing as the depth of magic she could feel coursing through her essence. She started when Xander spoke again.

"I wish he'd go away and never come back. Why does he keep coming back here anyway? It's not like anyone here likes him." The carpenter complained.

Dawn glared at her former crush. "He stays because he'd be fair game anywhere else. He can't defend himself against humans, or have you conveniently forgotten that? At least here if he's helping he's at least marginally protected. I'm just surprised he hasn't exploded before now. His temper is a horrible and I never want it directed at me. Do you really not know how smart he is? All last summer…"

Buffy interrupted her sister. "I don't want to hear about last summer, Dawnie. It over. I don't want to talk about it." She turned to her watcher. "Now how do I kill the big ugly?"

"That may be so, Dawnster, but it would be so nice if Captain Peroxide couldn't talk. Imagine the peace. The silence. The relief of never again having to say 'Shut up, Spike'." Xander grinned at the vision of a speechless Spike.

No one noticed the flash of dark lightening in Willow's green eyes.


	3. The Best Of Friends

The Best Of Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own anything worth suing me for.

Summary: Clem talks Spike into going out.

Reviews: Yes, please. Crave reviews as much as I crave Spike stories. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: I refuse to give out any pairings, just not my style. Thanks to my favorite partner, Wayward Childe for his help in figuring out where this fic is going.

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Clem paused just before entering Spike's crypt. Over the past two weeks the peaceful demon had been to Spike's crypt every day. He used his poker winnings, trading some of the kittens he won for cash to purchase cigarettes for his friend. And did the occasional odd job for Willy for Spike's blood and some alcohol. He carried the bag into the gloomy dwelling. He unpacked the blood into the refrigerator and looked around for the silent vampire. As far as he knew, Spike had not left the crypt at all in the two weeks since his voice had failed. Clem had made a few discreet inquiries about anyone working a spell to rob Spike of his voice but so far had come up empty. Spike was nowhere to be seen.

"Spike? Are you here?" Clem called.

The familiar blond head rose slowly from the hole in the floor. Tired sapphire eyes signaled a silent hello. Spike slumped into his cushy armchair and sighed.

"I brought you some wings and chips. Oh! And beer. I got you some beer too. I…um…noticed you were almost out yesterday." Clem kept up a cheerful babble as he puttered around the 'kitchen' area.

"You really should get out more. Hiding isn't going to make the problem better." He jumped when he heard the crash of an empty bottle hitting the wall. He shook his head sadly. The floppy skinned demon finished putting away the perishables and moved over to sit on the sofa. His kind red eyes scanned over the defeated posture of his best friend. He smiled when Spike looked up at him.

The vampire reached over to the table and picked up the tablet Clem had purchased the morning after Spike had been stuck mute. He scrawled a quick message and passed the paper over. 'Why do you put up with me?'

A smile split the folds of Clem's face. "Because you're my best friend and I don't desert my friends when they need help." He answered.

'I don't WANT to need help.' The response was accompanied by a grimace.

"I know Buddy, but some things can't be helped. We'll figure this out and you'll be back to your old self real soon." Clem was nothing if not eternally optimistic. He held up a familiar red box. "Bugles?" Spike grinned tiredly and nodded. He mimed a can and popping the top. Clem willingly retrieved two beers from the refrigerator. On his way back to the sofa he reached into the bag and brought out the videotape he'd picked up in the hope it would cheer up his depressed friend. He popped the tape into the player he'd brought over when he realized that Spike wasn't willing to leave the crypt. The vampire cringed comically and pretended he was staking himself when the opening credits for 'Love At First Bite' rolled across the screen. Clem laughed at the silent antics of his companion before they settled down to watch the campy vampire movie.

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"Buffy, have you seen Spike around recently?" Giles asked casually as he glanced up from the book he'd been studying as his slayer entered the shop.

Her blonde hair bounced as she shook her head vigorously. "Not since he got all pissy about the demon. What was it? Two weeks ago?" She mused. "Gee, it's been so peaceful."

The watcher cleaned his glasses. "Do you think he's left town?"

Buffy tilted her head. "No, I don't think so. I've gone by his crypt a couple of times and his stuff is still there. He never is though. The trap door is always locked tight too. It's a little wiggy. But all of the good, right?"

"Hmmmm." He hummed distractedly as he returned to the genealogy book he was searching through. He was becoming distressingly convinced he might have to pay a visit to the library so he could talk to someone about searching the Internet for the vital statistics he needed. Willow would have been more than capable of doing it for him but he didn't want to explain his reason for the search he needed.

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A few days later.

Clem glanced over at Spike. They had just finished watching one of the more gory horror movies that could be found at the video rental shop. He got up to rewind the tape and made a point to look at the clock on the player.

"It's still early, you could go out and blow off some steam." Clem casually suggested.

Spike's head began to shake. Clem turned to look at him in the eye. "You've been cooped up in here for over two weeks. You need to go out. Be seen. There's a rumor that you either left town or got dusted. A couple of the guys were talking about coming over here to take over your crypt." That last statement earned the peaceful demon a baleful glare.

"You could go dust a few fledges then go over to the Bronze and grab a couple of drinks. They don't know you're a vampire over there. Just write the waitress a note that you lost your voice, you'll get supremo service that way. The girls will be falling all over themselves to wait on you." Clem internally jumped for joy with the blond seemed to be seriously considering the plan.

Spike picked up the tablet. 'If the slayer comes around, you don't know anything. Got it?'

Clem nodded. "Got it. Go have some fun." He watched his buddy pull on his duster and gather up a few stakes. The blond gave the floppy skinned demon one last glare and left in a swirl of black leather.

Spike mentally ran through all the ways this plan could go wrong. He'd been going slowly stir crazy but hadn't wanted to run the risk of encountering the slayer. The last person he wanted to know about his problem was Buffy. He strode confidently through the cemetery and gave a vicious grin when he spotted a fledge still covered in dirt standing a few feet away from a hole in the ground. The elder vampire sauntered over to make sure he was in the newly risen demon's line of sight. The fledge gave a hiss when he saw the blond. Spike made 'bring it on' gesture with his hands. He was rewarded when the game-faced vampire attacked. Spike gleefully pounded on the hapless vamp until he was lying on the ground gulping in air he hadn't yet realized he didn't need. With a pitying shake of his head the Master Vampire pulled a stake from his pocket.

"Who _are_ you?" The fledge asked.

Spike just smiled evilly and drove the sharpened wood home. The pattern was continued almost half a dozen times more before he called it a night. He buzzed pleasantly from the violence he'd been inflicting. Suddenly Clem's plan for him to go for a drink at the Bronze didn't seem to be as dumb as Spike had first thought. He searched his pockets for some cash to buy the drinks with, he hadn't had any the last time he'd been out and was beginning to reluctantly head back to the crypt when a inside pocket yielded a small wad of bills with a note attached.

'Spike, go. Enjoy. Just be careful. Clem'

He briefly wondered what he'd done to deserve a friend like Clem before shaking his head in bemusement and heading for the local hangout. He never noticed the dark figure that had been observing him from a distance.

In the Bronze…

A waitress who'd waited on Spike before wandered up to the secluded table and smiled at the handsome blond.

"I haven't seen you in a while. Been doing okay?" She flirted.

He gave her a winning smile and held up his right hand and used his left to mime writing in the palm. She tilted her head, puzzled but handed him a pen and a paper from her order pad.

'Lost my voice, Luv. Get a beer and some wings, please? Please don't tell anyone, my friends have strange senses of humor.' He wrote in his elegant script.

She read the note and made a sympathetic face. "Oh, you poor thing. I'll keep it just between you and me. You just stay right here and I'll take good care of you. I'll go get that order in and bring you a beer. The first one's on me. Okay?"

He winked at her and nodded. She gave him a brilliant smile and rushed off to place his order. He had picked a table on the upper level that was well hidden from most of the floor but had a good view of the front door. The last people he wanted to run into was any of the sodding Scoobies. The beer arrived faster than he would have believed and he took a long swallow gratefully. The server patted his shoulder comfortingly as she moved on to the next table.

Later...

The wings were merely a memory and he was on his fourth beer when his neck started to tingle. He sat up alertly and scanned the building for the distinctive blonde hair of the slayer. He didn't see her or any of her friends but the tingle was becoming increasingly intense. A brunette slid into the empty seat across from him. All his senses screamed for him to leave but her large brown eyes captured his attention and he remained frozen in place.


	4. A Little Bit Of Faith

A Little Bit Of Faith

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a new digital camera.

Summary: Spike's spooked, Giles is searching and Willow's getting wigged.

Reviews: Yes, please. Crave reviews, adore reviewers. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

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Spike stared in bewilderment at the pretty girl who'd joined him. His senses told him she was a slayer but she was making no move to do him any damage. He lit a cigarette and let the curling smoke create a barrier between them. He watched her carefully.

Faith smirked at his smokescreen. She reached across to the pack he'd left sitting on the table and took it with his lighter. He watched as she tapped out a cigarette, lit it and returned both items. He raised his scarred eyebrow. She blew a smoke ring at him and tapped the ash into a dish.

"So, vampire. Tell me why you were out there doing my job tonight?" She purred.

Spike blinked at her. A small smile flitted across his handsome face. He shrugged.

"What? Too good to talk to a slayer? I'm Faith by the way, we met before but you wouldn't remember. I wasn't exactly…myself." Her dark chocolate eyes sparkled as she watched the confusion come and go in his expressive dark blue eyes. Faith let her gaze roam over his lean form. 'He's even hotter than I remember.' She thought.

"Okay, Blondie. What are you doing here? Cruising for your next victim?" She asked acidly. Irritated because he was refusing to talk to her.

Spike shook his head slowly, his eyes narrowed as he gazed through the smoke. He picked up the check that the waitress had delivered with the last beer and dug the amount out of his pocket. He added a healthy tip, something he usually never bothered to do, and stood up. He inclined his head toward the brunette and flicked up his scarred eyebrow again. With a small enigmatic smile he turned and left.

Faith sat where she was for a few minutes. 'What just happened here?' She wondered. Suddenly she shot up and raced for the door. She burst out into the street and turned in circles trying to figure out which direction the blond vampire had gone.

**A few minutes later…**

Clem jumped as the door slammed open. He turned from his movie to look at Spike. The panic on the blond's face had the peaceful demon leaping up to grab the paper and pen. He shoved the writing materials into the vampire's hands. Spike took them with shaking fingers and let his friend guide him over to the sofa. He clutched the pen tightly and scrawled a message hastily.

'Slayer. At the Bronze.' Spike wrote.

"Buffy was at the Bronze? Did she see you?" Clem asked worriedly.

Spike shook his head violently. 'Different slayer. Brunette. Name's Faith.' He dragged his hand through his hair before continuing with his writing. He took a deep unneeded breath. 'Was watching while I patrolled.'

Clem nodded. "I've heard of Faith. She's a bad one. She killed some dude. A human. Last I heard through the demon grapevine that she was in prison somewhere down by LA."

Spike's head dropped. He looked back up and resumed his hasty scribbling. 'Well, she's back. And she has me in her sights.'

"I'll do some asking around. See what I can find out." Clem assured him.

'Thanks, Mate. And thanks for the cash, had a good time til the slayer showed. Don't think I'll be going out again for a bit. She got a bit bitchy when I wouldn't talk to her.' Spike gave the tablet and pen back to Clem and stood up. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before pointing toward the trap door.

"Are you going to bed now?" Clem asked. Spike nodded as he walked to the entrance to the lower level. He suddenly felt exhausted. "I'll lock the door when I leave." Clem told him. The vampire smiled briefly and dropped out of sight. The floppy skinned demon turned off the television and cleaned up his snack debris. He'd installed a lock on the door to the crypt when the friends had realized that Buffy had been in while Spike was asleep. Fortunately, Spike had gotten in the habit of locking the trap door before going to bed. He got out his keys and locked the dead bolt before going home.

Spike stretched out on his bed. The encounter with the dark haired slayer had left him shaken and it pissed him off. He was the Slayer of Slayers. A Master Vampire. But for some reason, someone had stolen his voice and left him off balance. Speech was such a large part of his basic personality that he was adrift without it.

Spike tried, as he had every night since he'd been struck silent, to make a sound. He pressed his head hard into the pillow, opened his mouth wide and tried to scream. His throat muscles strained as he beat his fist on the mattress if frustration. Furious tears rose in his eyes as he remained stubbornly mute. He rolled over in defeat as he closed his mouth. He fell asleep wondering how long it would be before his speechless state drove him completely mad.

**The next day, Sunnydale Public Library…**

Giles opened the door to the Sunnydale Public Library with trepidation. He was relieved to see shelves of books but he knew the shiny computers lined along one wall held the answers he needed. He approached the young lady at the information desk cautiously.

"Excuse me." He began quietly. "I was wondering if I could get some assistance." He held out the paper with the search he needed to do. The girl smiled at him and led the way to one of the computers. She sat down, turned it on and logged onto the Internet. She quickly found the website he needed. She gave him a brief tutorial on surfing the cyberspace and left him to it. He moved the mouse fractionally and breathed a small sigh of relief when the little pointer moved across the screen without any major catastrophe. He checked his notes and typed the first portion of the information he was looking for into the tiny search box. He breathed a sigh of relief. Moving the pointer over to the little button marked 'Search', he pushed the button on the mouse and promptly panicked when the screen went completely blank.

**Summers house, Willow and Tara's room…**

Willow stretched languorously. She'd felt Tara get up earlier to attend a class but the redhead had opted to sleep in a bit. She felt mellower than she had in a while. She yawned and grimaced when she realized she was very thirsty. She knew she'd forgotten to get her customary glass of water for her bedside table. She threw back the covers and rolled to sit up on the edge. Her eyes caught sight of the full glass of water sitting on the table. She grinned. Tara knew her so well. Draining the cool liquid quickly, she got up fully and wandered into the closet for clothes for the day. She had a specific sweater she wanted to wear and was annoyed when it wasn't hanging among her clothing. She pulled on her bathrobe and went downstairs to the kitchen for something to eat while she figured out what to wear instead.

The redheaded witch set her empty cereal bowl in the sink and went back upstairs. She still hadn't decided what she wanted to wear so she went back into the closet to go through her clothes for an acceptable substitute. Her jaw dropped as she gaped at the sweater she'd been looking for hanging right in the front of the closet.

**At the library….**

Giles pulled his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. He glared again at the screen and wondered for what felt like the millionth time what had possessed him to start this search. He reread his notes and remembered. He sighed and got up to go to the information desk yet again. He needed the current page printed. It had taken him over an hour to find the one he needed and had made three trips to the friendly young woman in the process. He knew he was smart but the bloody computer made him _feel_ stupid. He wondered briefly if he would ever get the hang of it.

"I was hoping you would show me how to print something?" Rupert asked quietly. With a wide understanding smile she got up once more and printed the page.

"Thank you." He murmured with a grateful smile. Another hour later he had the second page he needed and because he'd carefully watched how she'd done it, managed to print that one himself. He sighed and relaxed fractionally. He clicked on the next page he needed and froze.

"_Oh Dear Lord!"_


	5. Looking For Answers

Looking For Answers

Disclaimer: Not mine, just messing with them.

Summary: Hmmmm. Nope don't think I want to tell, read it and find out.

Reviews: Yes, please. Love reviews, adore reviewers. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Wasn't going to post again for a couple of days but they demanded I continue on with the story so housework be damned and here's the next chap.

Thanks to Wayward Childe for letting me bounce plot points off his head.

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It had been several days since the encounter in the Bronze. Faith hadn't yet made contact with the Scoobies. She'd come back to town to make amends. Wesley and Angel had intervened for her with the parole board and she'd gotten a huge break for good behavior. An early parole and a fresh start had done wonders for her attitude and morale. Unaccustomed fear kept her from approaching the other slayer so she watched and waited. She patrolled later at night than the blonde did so they wouldn't run into each other. For reasons she refused to explore, she centered her routes around the area she'd seen the blond vampire killing other vampires. She buried the thought that she was watching for him but kept her eyes open for a glimpse of the handsome demon.

There. A flash of platinum caught her attention. Silently and swiftly she crossed the distance to where she could see him fighting with another vampire. She took a moment to admire his graceful fighting style. She knew the minute he realized she was there. He stiffened and abruptly brought the fight to an end by staking his opponent. He spun to face her, anger clouding his features. He stared at her as she sauntered up to stand several feet away from him. He watched her warily. The memory of his attitude at their last encounter angered her and she moved forward in an attack. He jumped out of the way and backed up out of range.

Faith snarled at Spike. "Why won't you fight me?" She demanded. "Why won't you talk?"

Spike watched her carefully, his sapphire eyes wide and glittering. She spun and lashed out with her foot, connecting with his jaw. He flew back a few feet and landed on his side. He rose up on one elbow as she advanced. He scrambled to his feet when it looked as if she were about to kick him in the ribs.

"Fight back vampire." The dark haired slayer hissed. It infuriated her when he just continued to watch her. He held his hands up in a placating gesture. She stopped in shock at the expression on his handsome face. It was a mixture of fear, pain, anger and, most surprising, despair. A pang shot through her heart. What could be affecting this vampire so much? He was no fledgling. If her senses were still accurate the blond standing in front of her was a master vampire no less than a century old. They should be fighting to the death but there was something…

Spike stood where he was, fighting the urge to tremble. He knew his face was reflecting all his mixed emotions. He was tired. Tired of hiding, tired of the chip and bloody well tired of being unable to speak. Suddenly the urge to let her finish it swept over him. He sank to his knees in front of her and stretched out his arms slightly away from his body, offering her a perfect opportunity to slide the stake into his heart. He raised his head and looked her in the eyes, his deep blue gaze holding her dark chocolate one steadily.

Faith stood frozen in shock. He reached out slowly and grasped the hand holding the stake in a tight grip. He placed the tip of it directly over his heart. The slayer gasped at the sensation of his cool fingers gliding over her hand. He let his hand drop and continued to gaze at her steadily, sad acceptance and pleading in his dark eyes. Her hand shook. She looked at it, almost surprised to see the wooden tip pressed against the hard chest. With conscious effort, she forced her fingers to release the stake. It clattered to the ground. Spike watched it fall in disbelief. Anger flashed through him and he got up. He backed away from her shaking his head.

"I can't. Not that way. It would be wrong." Faith tried to explain. "Tell me. Talk to me. I want to know _why_!"

Irrational fury choked Spike. He lashed out at her with his fist, landing a glancing blow to her cheek as she ducked at the last second. The sting of the hit made her gasp but the shock of seeing him fall back to his knees clutching his head in obvious pain stilled her breath. His mouth was open in a soundless scream of agony. The ice that had surrounded her heart for years cracked at the sight.

"Oh my God. What have they done to you?" She whispered. Horror darkened her eyes to nearly black. She scooped up her stake and slipped it into her pocket. She watched as he pulled his hands down from his head. He knelt there with his gleaming head bowed. A forgotten memory clicked into place. This was Spike, William the Bloody, and he had a chip in his head to prevent him from hurting humans. She'd known about it in theory but hadn't seen its affects. She remembered taunting him at the Bronze during the body switch. She had seen the bitterness and anger in his gaze that night but had been having so much fun at his expense she hadn't given it another thought. And now for some reason he was mute as well. Nothing in her experience prepared her for a situation like this. She couldn't kill him, he was helpless. No. She changed her wording. Not helpless, _never helpless_. He was impaired and suddenly she wanted to help him, to make it better. She knew it was time to contact Giles and Buffy. She needed to know what they had done to him.

Spike remained motionless for long minutes. He waited for her to decide what she would do next. He could only hope she would change her mind and put him out of his misery. With each passing second his hopes of a dusty end diminished. His unbeating heart sank. Where was the vicious killer Clem had told him about? Wasn't she the 'stake first, ask questions later' slayer? He blinked away the tears of pain before looking up through his dark eyelashes. He flinched at the expression on her face. He wondered if she realized that she was showing pity for the enemy. _Pity_. It was more than he could take and he jumped to his feet and ran. He tapped into his preternatural speed to outdistance her.

Faith watched Spike disappear. Contrary to what he thought, she made no move to follow him. She knew Buffy would know where to find him and she turned away thoughtfully. She went back to her motel room and spent the rest of the night sleepless and angry. The memory of that flinch making her sick.

**At Spike's crypt…**

Clem knew he should have been prepared to hear the door slam open but jumped anyway when it did. He'd spent days convincing Spike to go out again after the last time. He turned to ask what happened but was silenced by the bleak expression on the vampire's face. He watched his best friend walk over to the trap door. Spike gave no sign that he saw him. The floppy skinned demon didn't even reach to pick up the paper and pen. There was no force on earth that would make him ask Spike why there were tears rolling down his face. Spike dropped out of sight and minutes later Clem's sharp hearing picked up the sound of flesh hitting stone as Spike began pummeling the wall of his bedroom. He quickly locked the crypt door and went home before his emotions got the better of him. Once at his own home, Clem sat down and, for the first time since the whole ordeal had begun, allowed himself to weep for his friend.

**The next day, Magic Box…**

Giles shuffled through the pages once more. It didn't matter how many times he read the information it stayed the same. He couldn't believe how easy it had been to find all the statistics he'd needed. The sheer volume of information contained in the websites had amazed him. He looked up as Willow and Tara came into the shop. He stuffed his work into a folder and placed it securely in his desk drawer, locking it before he moved into the main part of the store.

"Hello. How was school today?" He greeted the witches distractedly. His thoughts were still buzzing from his surprising discovery. He smiled slightly when the girls started telling him about their day. He listened with half his attention as they chattered.

Willow joined in the after school babbles with a little less enthusiasm than she normally showed. She was still figuring out the bit with the sweater and to add to her confusion, when she'd thanked Tara for the water, her lover had denied the thoughtful gesture. Other instances of unexplained occurrences had happened that had her a little scared.

Willow was getting lost in thought when Buffy bounced into the shop. Attention turned to the slayer and allowed the redhead to dwell on the strangeness that was developing in her life.

Giles smiled absently at Buffy when she came in. She was still on the 'Spike's gone, life's good' wagon. That thought brought his mind back to the file in the drawer and the surprising discoveries he'd made.

'I can't not say anything.' The Watcher thought. 'But how do I broach the subject? I can't just demand an explanation. I can't believe none of this is in the Watchers archives. They merely included whatever rumors and hearsay were told at the time and no one ever bothered to find out the truth.'

He wandered back to his desk hidden in the back alcove of the shop. He sat down in his chair and steepled his fingers under his chin. 'Maybe the truth was hidden at the time. There _were_ some changes made. _Drastic_ changes.' He mused. 'He doesn't owe me any explanations but it would have made me treat him a bit differently.'

An evil little Spike-sounding voice niggled at the back of his mind. 'But would you have believed him?'

His musing was interrupted when the shop bell jangled. Buffy, Willow and Tara exclaimed in surprise. They were overridden by a loud demand.

"What the **_Hell_** have you people done to Spike?"


	6. Trust Is Hard To Find

Trust Is Hard To Find

Disclaimer: You've heard it all before. Not owning anything worth suing for.

Summary: Lack of trust abounds. Faith searches for answers.

Reviews: Yes, please. Craving the warm fuzzies brought on by the reviews. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: The hope was expressed that this was not a Faith/Spike romance. Sorry, I write what the voices tell me. Can't be helped. Pairings are usually beyond my control, they chose who they like. This fic is season sixish with no real spoilers for any specific episodes. I guess that would make it an AU. I'm not going into any major episode changes. Buffy in season six would have thrown a week-long party if Spike dropped out of sight. I won't even go into the nasty attitude brought on by her resurrection. As for where this fic is going? Well, I guess we'll see.

Wayward Childe: What can I say? Had to add a note to you just cause you make me smile.

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Stunned silence settled over the magic shop. Faith stood on the step by the front door and glared at the Scoobies. Giles moved forward from his alcove and removed his glasses. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he thoughtfully polished them.

"Faith, how did you get out?" He inquired a little more casually than expected. Buffy whirled around and gaped at him.

"Parole. Angel and Wesley had a word with the board. That and good behavior got me out. Now, answer the question. What the **_Hell_** have you done to Spike?" Faith directed her question to Giles.

"What do you mean 'done to Spike'? Nobody's done anything to Spike. We haven't seen him in weeks." Buffy stated hostilely. She still hadn't forgiven the other slayer for the whole body-switch episode. "How do you know Spike anyway?"

Faith shrugged. "Met him when I swiped your body. Came back to apologize for that by the way. Didn't remember his name the other night when I ran into him at the Bronze. But last night I remembered who he was. There's something wrong with him."

"You realize that he has a chip that prevents him from harming humans. Is that what you're talking about?" Rupert asked as he replaced his glasses. He made a mental note to call Angel at the first opportunity.

"I know about the chip. I saw what it does last night when he took a swipe at me. No, this is different. Wait. Are you telling me you _don't know_?" Faith was confused. She'd been positive it had been the Scoobies that had made the vampire mute. Suddenly it occurred to her that maybe he didn't want them to know which would explain why they hadn't seen him in weeks. A frown crossed her pretty face.

"Don't know what?" Willow ventured to ask. She edged closer to Tara and grabbed her lover's hand. Tara frowned. She couldn't see any deceit in Faith's aura. She wondered why younger slayer so worried about the blond vampire.

"Nothing, maybe I'm wrong. I have to talk to him again. Where does he live?" The brunette slayer backpedaled. There was something funky going on and she needed to figure out what it was.

Giles watched her curiously. She was hiding something. Information about Spike if he wasn't mistaken.

"Where does he live?" Faith asked again. She ran her hand through her hair.

Buffy stared at the dark haired slayer. She was remembering all the evil things this girl had done the last time she'd been in Sunnydale. She didn't believe that she was out on parole and vowed to have the story checked out as soon as possible.

"We don't know." Buffy lied casually, ignoring the shocked gasps of her friends.

Faith's face hardened as she heard the lie in Buffy's voice. "Fine. I'll find it myself. Call me sometime, B. We'll do lunch." She spun on her heel and left the shop.

Giles moved to follow her only to be stopped by the blonde slayer. "Giles, what is she doing out? Call Angel. She's lying."

"I fully intend to call Angel. Then we need to figure out what she means. I wonder if there is indeed something wrong with Spike." Giles moved back into his alcove to pick up the phone.

**Later, Willy's Bar…**

Faith noticed the demons backing away as she made her way to the bar. Willy leaned over the greasy counter. "Slayer, come on. It's bad enough when the other one comes around. You're just bad news and I don't need the trouble." He hissed.

Faith smiled evilly. "Haven't you heard? I've reformed. I just want a little information. No trouble. Tell me what I need to know and nothing gets broken. Especially your head."

Willy shook his head. "I don't know anything."

"Aw, come on." She pouted, leaning against the counter and gazing around the bar. "I didn't even ask you what I wanted to know. How do you know you don't know anything about it until I ask?"

The human bartender sighed. "What is it?"

"You know Spike, right? Vamp. Blond. Black leather coat. When was the last time you saw him?" Faith turned around and lowered her voice.

"Yeah, yeah. I know Spike. Haven't seen him in a while. Been two, three weeks at least. Been real quiet without him. Haven't had a bad fight in here since last time he 'graced' me with his patronage." Willy glanced around fearfully. "I heard a rumor that he got dusted but his friend is still coming around. He does little chores for me for blood and stuff."

"His friend? What friend? What's his name and where do I find him?" Faith hid the little flash of elation that shot though her.

"I've said too much. If Spike is still around and he finds out I ratted him out, he'll find a way to kill me." Willy nervously polished a glass. He glanced toward the back room reflexively. Faith noticed.

"What's back there?" She smiled. Her dark eyes gleamed. "Is he back there? Thanks Willy. You've been a peach."

"Just go, slayer. You're ruining my rep." Willy pleaded.

She waved at him as she made her way to the back room. She stepped through the door and stopped in surprise. A poker game was in progress. Five demons of various descriptions were holding cards and placing kittens on the table. She snickered.

"Kitten poker? Now I've seen everything." She laughed.

"Slayer!" Several of the demons jumped up and ran past her, knocking her into the wall on their way past. The one who remained calmly gathered up the kittens and placed them carefully in a covered basket.

Faith hadn't seen anyone like him before. He was a tall gray skinned demon with red eyes and loose skin that fell over his frame in large folds. She watched him for a moment.

She tilted her head quizzically. "So, why didn't you take off like the rest?"

Clem flipped the hooks down so the kittens couldn't crawl out. He shrugged. "I can't outrun you. They left all these valuable kittens behind. Their loss. I need them. Are you going to kill me?"

Faith shook her head in bemusement. "Not right away. I'm looking for someone. If you help me I'll let you go."

Curious red eyes scanned the brunette. "Who is it you're looking for?"

"There's this vamp named Spike. Willy says Spike has a friend that comes in and does odd jobs. Do you know who it is? Spike's friend that is." Faith tried to explain without giving away why she needed the information.

"Depends on what you plan on doing when you find him. I don't rat out innocent demons to a slayer. Not good for the health." Clem's curiosity was growing. She looked a little too worried to be out for Spike's head.

Faith's slayer senses were screaming at her. Suddenly she knew this placid-looking demon was Spike's friend. She decided to play along and pretend she still didn't know. "I want him to pass a message to Spike. I want him to tell Spike that I want to help. Can you get that to him?"

"Why would you want to do that? Help a vampire. You're a slayer, you kill vampires." Clem sat down as shock buckled his knees. This was _not_ what he'd expected to hear.

Faith uncharacteristically ducked her head. "I don't know. I saw Spike last night. There's something wrong and I want to help. He tried to get me to stake him. I couldn't. Not like that. Can you just let him know that?" She said quietly.

Clem stood up and collected his basket. "If I see Spike's friend I'll tell him. I'm not making any promises though."

Faith nodded and stepped aside to let him pass. She waited until he stopped at the bar and collected several bottles of alcohol before he went out the front door. Then she followed him at a distance. She watched as he made his way to a small apartment and went inside. A few minutes later he came back out. Then she watched as he went to a pet store not far away. He went in and quite a while later came out without the basket. Still trailing the large demon, Faith watched as he stopped at a convenience store and exited with a carton of cigarettes. She noticed that they were the same brand Spike smoked.

Clem's next stop was the Bronze where he came out with a take out bag. She continued to keep a safe distance, certain he didn't know he was being followed. He led her to the cemetery she'd met the blond vampire in the previous night. He carried his bags to a crypt tucked in a quiet corner of the cemetery. He set some of his burden down and took out his keys, unlocking the deadbolt that looked out of place on the heavy door. Faith smiled and shook her head ruefully. She should have known.

**Inside…**

Spike was listlessly lying on his sofa with the television on. It had taken all his strength to climb up the ladder out of the lower level. A tiny part of him regretted what he'd done the night before but a bigger part of him, mostly demon, relished the pain. He hadn't been able to get a bag of blood out but he hadn't wanted to put much effort into it either.

He heard Clem come in and sighed a little when he heard the familiar clink of whiskey bottles. He could smell food and knew his friend was trying to cheer him up by getting his favorite snacks. He remained where he was and listened as the other demon bustled in the kitchen area.

"Hey, Spike. I saw that slayer today. She claims she wants to help. I don't know though, she seems to be bad news. The grapevine says not to trust her. She told me you tried to get her to stake you last night. Is that true? Why? I don't have that many friends I can afford to lose one. I did notice you were upset when you came in. Are you…" Clem broke off when he finally faced the unresponsive vampire on the sofa.

Spike was still in the same clothes that he'd been wearing the night before. He had dried blood on his face and in his hair. He was shivering. He had his arms crossed over his chest with his hands curled in as if protecting them. He lay on his side facing the television. His eyes were fixed on the flickering screen. What shook Clem most was the condition of Spike's hands. They were broken, mangled. Bruises covered them to past the wrists and the awkward angle of his fingers told Clem how badly they must hurt. He wished with all his heart he hadn't left the previous night when he'd heard Spike pounding on the stone walls below. He'd figured his buddy would heal whatever damage he'd managed to inflict. He swallowed the bile that had risen at the sight.

Passing in front of Spike's gaze deliberately, Clem sat down on the battered coffee table. "What have you done?" He asked softly.

Spike blinked slowly and dragged his eyes away from the television. He let Clem gently grasp his biceps and ease him upright. The larger demon tugged on the vampire's forearms and pulled the damaged hands away from his chest.

"Oh my God. You must have been at it for hours." Clem's voice was ragged.

Spike watched dispassionately as his friend carefully turned the hands over. Clem caught Spike's gaze. Spike shrugged, his lean face expressionless. Clem's tender heart ached at the defeat in his best friend's blue eyes. Suddenly the vampire stiffened. His head snapped around toward the door. Clem turned to look. Faith stood in the open doorway. She shoved the door closed. Then she walked slowly into the crypt, her dark eyes fixed on Spike. The deep chocolate gaze dropped to the battered hands.

"Holy crap, Spike. What did you _do_?" She gasped, her voice wavered a bit at the end of her question.

Spike pulled his arms from Clem's grip. He cradled the wounded appendages close to his chest, laid back down and turned back to the television, shutting both of them out.


	7. Breaking And Healing

Breaking And Healing

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Wish I did.

Summary: It's a secret. Read it to find out.

Reviews: Yes, please. Extra hungry for warm fuzzies. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Huge hugs and extra O-pos for Wayward Childe, whose continued support is invaluable.

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Giles hung up the phone and replaced his glasses. He turned to the waiting young people and sighed. His green gaze roamed over his audience. Xander and Anya had joined the rest of the Scoobies shortly after Faith had left and Dawn had come in as soon as she got out of school. Of the entire group, the youngest Summers was the only one who'd been even remotely concerned over the absence of the blond vampire. But after the first couple of times Dawn had asked her sister to look for her friend, she'd given up. Buffy flatly refused to waste any of her attention on 'an evil soulless fiend'. The result was that the teenager was not speaking to her sister any more than she had to.

"Well? Was she lying?" Buffy demanded.

Giles slowly shook his head. "No. She wasn't. She is out on parole. Angel and Wesley both appealed to the parole board on her behalf. As long as she stays out of any serious trouble she will stay out of jail. Angel had convinced her to come up here and make amends for her past misdeeds toward all of us. I believe we owe her an apology."

Numerous protests met his statement.

"But, G-man, she tried to kill me." Xander exclaimed.

Anya's jealousy reared its head. "She can't have my Xander. He's only allowed to share orgasms with me."

"Not an issue, Sweetheart. Trust me." Xander told her.

"She tried to take over my whole life." Buffy put in.

Willow tightened her grip on Tara's hand. Tara winced and tugged. The redhead glanced at her love, loosening her grasp at the expression on the blonde witch's face. "Sorry, Baby." She murmured. "She's never done anything good, why should we trust her now?" Willow asked the watcher.

Dawn crossed her arms across her chest mutinously. "Cause everyone deserves a second chance." She grumbled. 'Like Spike.' She added to herself. She would have gone to check on the vampire herself but her sister had her on such a short leash it was a wonder she was allowed to hang out at the Magic Box. Forget having any friends, it just wasn't happening.

He held up his hand for silence. "She has made an effort. The least we can do is acknowledge it. Go home and think about it." Distractedly he ushered all of them out of the shop, locking up after the last one had gone. He needed time to think. Assured of his solitude, he unlocked the drawer to his desk and pulled the file out of its hiding place. He opened it and read the information again. He shook his head in bemusement. Never in a million years would he have guessed the truth.

Making his decision, he left the shop.

**Spike's crypt…**

Faith and Clem looked at each other in dismay. Faith knelt down in front of Spike. With exquisite gentleness, she tugged one of his hands out of hiding. She whistled softly as she inspected the damage to the slender artistic hand. Spike watched her out of dull blue eyes as she caressed his fingers. He knew they were healing in such a way that they would be useless but couldn't bring himself to care. She tenderly tucked his hand back where she'd found it and stood up. Faith tilted her head toward the door as Spike turned his attention back to the television.

Once outside, they walked a short distance away. Faith was positive Spike knew what needed to be done. "How did that happen?" The brunette asked.

Clem studied the ground. "He was upset when he got home last night so I didn't ask him what happened. He went straight downstairs and I heard him start pounding on the walls. I thought that whatever damage he'd do would easily heal by today. He must have been at it most of the night."

Faith winced. "They're half-healed. If he ever wants to use his hands again they'll have to be re-broken and set properly."

The peaceful demon shuddered. "Will you help?"

Faith's attention was already directed back towards the crypt. "Yeah, I think I have to." She said softly.

"We should do it now, I guess." Clem mused. The slayer nodded. The unlikely allies went back into the cool confines of the old crypt.

Spike's eyes were closed and he appeared to be asleep. His eyes snapped open when Faith knelt in front of him again.

"Spike. You know what needs to be done, right?" Her voice was unusually gentle.

A slight nod answered her question. "Will you trust me to do it for you?" Lackluster sapphire met sympathetic dark brown. An infinitesimal nod answered her.

"Okay. Clem, can you help him sit up again? Then I'm gonna need you to stand behind him and hold him still." Faith instructed. "Spike, I need you to be absolutely still. This is gonna be really painful."

Clem eased the blond back into a sitting position. The slayer thought of something. "Are there any bandages?" Clem nodded and fetched Spike's meager stash of first aid supplies. Faith pulled out two bandages. "We'll need more." She noted. Clem nodded; he'd take care of it.

The larger demon grasped Spike's slender shoulders while Faith took one mangled hand between her two super-strength hands. A sickening series of cracks sounded as she quickly re-broke all of the misaligned bones. Spike's body convulsed violently. His feet kicked out, knocking the coffee table away. His mouth opened in a silent scream as fire raced up his arm from his now re-shattered hand. He panted needlessly as Faith quickly straightened his fingers out and bandaged them so they would heal in working order. Tears streamed down Faith's face as she moved to the other side to do the same thing to the other hand. Clem strengthened his hold on his best friend's shoulders. There would be bruises, he knew but they were unavoidable. Again, there was the loud, sickening cracking sound. Spike bucked once again, his mouth trying to release a scream from the stretched out throat muscles before he mercifully passed out. Faith was openly sobbing as she finished wrapping the second bandage around the reset fingers. Clem released his punishing grip and let the too-thin body fall over slowly.

They were so intent on their task that they failed to notice the observer standing just inside the door. Giles had knocked but no one had answered so he pushed the door open just enough to slide through. He heard the coffee table being kicked as he entered. At first he'd thought that the younger slayer and the unknown demon were torturing Spike. But before he could intervene, Faith had switched sides and Giles had seen the tears spilling down her face as she'd taken the bruised, grotesquely deformed hand and broken it. Bile had risen in the back of the watcher's throat at the sound of the bones breaking. He watched her quickly straighten and reset the broken digits before binding them in a bandage. He noticed with shock that while Spike was giving the appearance of screaming, no sound left the straining throat. He slipped back out of the crypt and crouched a short distance away, breathing deeply in an attempt to control his nausea.

Faith burst out of the crypt moments later. She dashed to a tree and leaned against it as she retched. She turned away and staggered over to a headstone. She fumbled a cigarette out of a pocket, cursing as she dropped her lighter. She collapsed in tears as she leaned over to pick it up, landing on her knees. Her head bent down as sobs shook her petite form.

Giles walked slowly over to the upset slayer. Her head snapped up as she heard the slide of his shoes on the ground.

"What?" Faith asked harshly. Her hands shook violently as she lit her cigarette.

"What happened to his hands?" Giles asked softly.

"He beat them into submission on his own bedroom walls." Faith answered bitterly.

"Why?" The watcher needed to know.

Faith swiped at the tears that still flowed from her eyes. "Because I refused to stake him."

Giles nodded. He removed his glasses to clean them. "Why wouldn't you do that? It is your job after all." The questions came out mildly.

Her breath hitched painfully. "Because he couldn't fight back. He can't speak. I don't know how or why but he can't speak and he can't fight back. How could I kill someone who can't even defend themselves against me? He knelt down on the ground in front of me and waited for me to do it. It was _wrong_." She sobbed.

He knelt down next to her and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. "You did the right thing. I'm sorry I doubted you earlier." He murmured.

She scrubbed her face dry. "I need to patrol." She said huskily.

Giles understood her need for violence. "I'll see to Spike. I'm assuming that is his friend that was helping you?"

Faith nodded as she got up. She threw her spent smoke away. "That's Clem. He's the best. He's been taking care of Spike so no one would find out he can't speak."

The watcher processed this information. "I'll see if there's anything he needs."

The slayer nodded and took off. Giles made his way back to the door of the crypt. He pushed it open again and entered the gloomy room. Spike was still unconscious. The loose-skinned demon he'd noticed earlier was keeping watch from an easy chair. He stood up and moved in front of the sofa to protect his unaware friend.

"It's okay. I'm a friend of Faith's." Giles said softly. "Is there anything you need for Spike?"

"You're the slayer's watcher, aren't you? Not Faith. The other slayer." Clem said. He glanced at Spike as the vampire stirred.

Giles inclined his head in acknowledgement of his status. "That's not why I'm here." He stated quietly. "How can I help?"

Clem watched Giles silently for a moment. A sharp inhalation from Spike drew both their attention. Clem swiftly went into the kitchen to get a bottle of alcohol and a packet of blood. Rupert took advantage of Clem's short absence to approach the sofa. He knelt next to the awakening vampire. Pain-glazed blue eyes opened slowly and widened when the watcher came into view. The wounded blond sat up and pulled himself into a tight huddle in the corner of the cushions. The lean features tightened and grew remote turning away to watch the still flickering television screen. Clem came back with an open bottle of Jack Daniels, offering it to his best friend. Spike automatically reached for it and drew back his bandaged hands as he made painful contact with the bottle. He scowled in anger and pain before tucking his hands back up to his chest and withdrawing once more. Clem attempted to coax the stubborn vampire to drink the large mug of warmed blood. The blond turned his head away and closed his eyes.

"Spike, you need to feed. You're never going to heal if you don't. I'll hold it for you. It won't take long. Come on, buddy." Clem pleaded.

Spike shot a hate-filled glare at Giles and shook his head.

"It's human. Willy got some really fresh stuff and gave me first dibs on it." The demon tried again. Lips clamped tightly closed, Spike shook his head again.

Giles decided that he didn't want to know how Willy had gotten the 'really fresh stuff'. His sober gaze rested on the one being other than Angel that, at one time, he would _never_ have willingly helped. The events of the past year had drastically changed his opinion of the chipped vampire. He'd put his own welfare on the line numerous times for all of them. Granted he'd wanted full credit _and_ payment, at least at first, but he _had_ been useful. His absence the past few weeks had driven home to Giles just how helpful the vampire actually was.

"Maybe it would be best if I left." The human suggested. Clem nodded reluctantly. He walked with Giles to the door and followed him outside for a moment.

"Is there anything I can get for you? Do you need any money?" Giles offered.

"I'm good. He might eat now. Is there anything you want me to tell him?" Clem asked.

Giles shook his head. "When did he lose his voice? Was he injured?"

Clem glanced back at the crypt and lowered his voice. "It just stopped working one night about three weeks ago. He's been going downhill since. You know how he is. He can't _not_ talk. It's been driving him insane. If you can help with that…" He stopped.

Giles nodded. "I'll do what I can. One of our group is a witch maybe…"

Clem interrupted. "He didn't want anyone to know. Can you not mention names?"

"I'll try." Giles patted the demon on the shoulder and left. There was something very familiar about Spike's situation. If he could just remember what it was.

**Later…**

Faith let herself back into the crypt. The light from the television was the only illumination in the gloomy space. She could see Clem snoozing lightly in the easy chair. Spike was huddled in the corner of the sofa blankly staring at the television.

"Hey, Clem. I'm back if you want to go home and get some real sleep. I'll stay with Blondie." She shook the big demon gently.

Clem glanced at his friend tiredly and nodded. "Thanks. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"A lot of that going around. Don't sweat it." She smiled. "Go. I've got it."

"I'm leaving now Spike." Clem told the vampire. A bandaged hand waved briefly. He turned to Faith at the door. "I'll get some more blood and bandages tomorrow. Can you get him to eat? He's refused everything I've offered."

"No problem, Big Guy." The slayer smirked grimly. She'd formed her plan while patrolling. Spike would be up and about sooner than Clem expected.

She locked the deadbolt behind him and sauntered back to the sofa. She sat down next to the wary vampire and studied him intently. She reached over and pried one of his arms away from his chest.

"Let's see the digits." She watched his face carefully as she slowly bent his fingers at the knuckles. He winced and pulled his hand away. "I can fix that for you." She almost whispered.

His puzzled blue eyes never wavered from her face. She flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder and away from her neck. She shifted closer. "Isn't slayer blood the most powerful food a vampire can take in?" She asked rhetorically, her voice low and husky. Spike unconsciously licked his lips before shaking his head and turning away.

Her small, powerful hand grasped his lean jaw and turned his head back around to her. "You know you want to." She purred. "You won't hurt me." She moved even closer and swung over his lap, settling on top of him. He watched her with widening eyes, fascinated. He kept his mouth stubbornly closed. She'd been prepared for his resistance. She lifted the small pocketknife she'd hidden in the palm of her hand. Before he realized it, she raised the blade and made a small cut on the side of her neck. The rich smell was more than Spike's demon could resist. He vamped and fastened his fangs on the cut, nuzzling it open further and gulping several large swallows. He stiffened and pulled back, eyes wide and gold. His demon face faded, the gold changed back to sapphire and he stared at the woman sitting on his lap. Her eyes were fastened on his face and she watched as he licked a drop of her blood from his lip. Her dark eyes dilated and she slammed her mouth onto his.


	8. Memories And Confessions

Memories And Confessions

Disclaimer: Own nothing. Just like playing with them.

Reviews: Yes, please. Love reviews, adore reviewers. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Bridge: I'm sorry you're not liking the direction this story is taking but to be honest, while I love having you as a reader, I gotta tell you I ain't holding a stake to your heart forcing you to keep reading. Hon, if you don't like it don't read it. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and if you can't handle this fic leave it be. Just please don't hesitate to read future ramblings. You're a valued reader and I'd hate to lose you over this one story.

WayWard Childe: I think everything I needed to say I already covered in IM's. I just like the way you think.

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Spike's body hummed with the influx of slayer blood and the passionate kisses that were numbing his brain. He could feel the bones in his hands healing. His darkening eyes opened and watched the lovely slayer as she dove down to plunder his mouth again. His dark lashes fluttered down and created shadows on his lean cheekbones.

'Bloody Hell.' He thought. 'She's so hot. Sweet, so sweet. Suddenly I'm kinda happy she didn't dust me. She fed me her blood! Why would she do that? She doesn't know me. I have to slow this down. What am I thinking? She's hot. She's all over me. Go for it, you ponce. No, this is too fast.'

Spike pulled back from her kisses and blinked up at her in puzzlement. She smiled down at him.

"You're wondering why, aren't you?" She asked. He nodded. She bit her lip and if he could have, he would have groaned. "Do you remember a while back you and Buffy had a conversation in the Bronze? She said something like, _'I could ride you at a gallop until your legs buckled and your eyes rolled up. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne, and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little bit more.'_" He gulped, his eyes wide and aroused at the memory. He'd never forgotten that particular conversation. She smiled wickedly and leaned down until her breath teased his ear. "That wasn't Buffy. It was me."

He shuddered as his physical reaction to her kisses and the memory bordered on painful. He lightly rested his bandaged hands on her leather-clad thighs and panted needlessly at the heat pouring off her lithe body. His sapphire eyes grew heavy-lidded and dark until they appeared almost black. Faith smiled down at him before lowering her mouth back to his. She nibbled on his full lower lip then took advantage of his gasp and deepened the kiss. His head now rested on the back of the sofa as she hovered over him and ravished his cool mouth. His hands flexed and he hissed at the pain.

Faith ran her hands down his arms, her touch light on his muscles, until she reached his still healing hands. She loosely grasped his wrists and pulled his arms up until his bandaged hands rested safely on the cushion behind his head. She smiled at the picture he made, his blond hair mussed into tousled curls, his arms stretched over his head, dark cobalt eyes passion-glazed rather than pain filled as they had been earlier. She frowned as she realized there was something wrong with the image he presented. A sparkle lit her dark chocolate eyes as she teasingly ran her hands down his chest until her fingertips grazed the bottom of his black t-shirt.

"Should I keep my promise?" She asked huskily. His eyes reflected his question. 'Promise?'

His stomach muscles twitched as she began to inch the t-shirt up to reveal his toned, alabaster torso to her hungry gaze. Her hair brushed his face as her lush mouth caressed his earlobe. "So… you wanna gallop?" Warm air shivered his neck as she breathed the question onto his skin. She grinned as his eyes rolled back into his head.

**Much, much later….**

_The rain beat down on the combatants and the thunder shook the atmosphere in time with the punches being thrown. She could feel her tears mixing with the rain on her face as she swung her fists against the large body before her. Her punches lost their impact until she collapsed against him in tears. They sank down to the wet sidewalk as she sobbed onto his broad shoulder. She could hear him murmuring to her that he was there and it would be all right. Somehow she believed him. She'd wanted him to kill her but now she wanted him to save her._

_She looked down at the vampire on his knees in front of her begging her with startling blue eyes to use the stake in her hand to end his existence. This was her chance to pass on the favor done to her years before by this creature's sire. She wouldn't kill him, she would help him. Something in her expression angered the blond demon because he leaped to his feet and ran off. She wanted to follow, to help, but her feet were stuck to the ground. The solid surface she was standing on changed and she began to sink. She struggled but felt herself losing the battle as she slowly began to sink out of sight_.

Faith sat up with a gasp. The last few bits of her nightmare faded quickly as she caught her breath. Glancing around to get her bearings, she remembered where she was and who she was with. At some point in the night, they'd managed to relocate downstairs to the queen-sized bed Spike owned. She'd been surprised at the comfort of his bedroom. He'd shrugged shyly when she'd commented on it. Surprise had quickly given way to passion and they'd spent the rest of the night wrapped in each other's arms. A few candles were still flickering allowing her to gaze around the room curiously. She winced when she saw the bloodstained wall that he'd wrecked his hands on.

She lay down and propped her head on her hand. Her dark eyes roamed over the leanly muscled body next to her. His hands were healed now thanks to her blood. She shivered as she remembered when he'd realized he could use his talented fingers and proceeded to drive her crazy with them. Her gaze moved up to his handsome face. He looked so innocent in his sleep. She smiled when she realized he was breathing. His full lower lip tempted her but she resisted for a few more minutes. She wanted to savor the peace etched on his finely drawn features. She normally left as soon as she was finished with sex but she couldn't force herself to leave the warm bed. Her senses tingled as she realized he was waking up. Sleepy blue eyes opened and her heart thumped when pleased surprise that she was still there bloomed in the sapphire depths. Someone had severely mistreated this beautiful man and she found herself wanting to protect him.

His slender hand moved up to rake newly healed fingers through her long thick hair. His expressive eyes followed the movement. He cupped her jaw and traced her bottom lip with his thumb. His gaze was attracted by the nearly healed cut on the side of her neck. He traced his fingers delicately across the mark. She shivered at the touch. He caught her eyes with his own. Making sure he had her attention he deliberately mouthed, 'Thank you.'

She kissed him lightly. "You're welcome."

'Why?' The word was unmistakable.

"Because I needed to. The other night when you wanted me to dust you, I couldn't do it. I was in that place a while back and I knew that I had to help you the way I was helped." She wasn't happy with her explanation but it was the best she could do.

Spike rose to his elbow, raised his scarred eyebrow inquiringly and indicated their nude bodies under the silk sheets with his hand. She caught his question. "No, I didn't sleep with him. It was different. You're different." Suddenly she saw the teasing sparkle in his gorgeous eyes. She swatted him lightly on the chest. He caught her hand in his and brought it up to his mouth, nibbling on the tips of her fingers. Her breath caught so her next statement was whispered softly. "I think I wanted to do this two years ago in the Bronze."

Her confession brought a smile to his sapphire depths and he lowered his lips to hers in a searing kiss. Part of her words to him came back forcefully and he released her momentarily. He sat up and turned to her with his hands clasped in a pleading gesture. Employing his best pout and puppy eyes, he begged just as she'd predicted he would. The implications darkened her chocolate gaze and she attacked his sexy body. She tickled him for a few minutes before passion overtook them both and dragged them back to the pleasure they'd discovered.

**The Magic Box…. **

Giles pulled the file out of the drawer again. He'd read it so many times that he had it committed to memory; he just needed to see the words printed out in black and white. Anya was manning the register although the shop was unusually slow. She liked to stay near her money. Dimly he heard the bell above the door jangle but only looked up when Willow asked if he were there. Quickly stuffing the file back into its hiding place, he locked the drawer and went to the main part of the store to see what the young witch wanted.

"What can I do for you, Willow?" He asked. She looked troubled and glanced around nervously.

"Can we talk privately?" She wanted to know.

"Certainly. Let's go into the training room. Is that okay?" Giles led the way. There was a small sofa tucked along one wall. As soon as they sat down, the redhead began to wring her hands together.

"I don't know how to…" She made a futile gesture with both hands.

"How about at the beginning?" The watcher suggested. "It's usually the best place to start."

Willow took a deep breath. "Remember the spell I used to resurrect Buffy?" A deep frown on the older man's face told her that he did remember. "Well, since then I seem to have…um…I guess you'd call it a control problem. But it's not that I'm using magic it's that the magic is…um…creating itself. I mean there are things that have happened that I know I didn't do on purpose but they just… happened."

"What type of things?" Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them vigorously.

"Well…like a glass of water on the bedside table when I'd forgotten to fill it the night before. A sweater that wasn't in the closet one time but five minutes later is hanging right in the front. Extra money in my pocket when Dawnie needed lunch money for school. There's more." Willow explained, her head ducked as she tried to remember other little instances that couldn't otherwise be explained.

"You say this started after you brought Buffy back?" Giles sought clarification.

She nodded. "It's been getting worse. I think. It's just that I don't always know when something has happened. It's been really noticeable the last two or three weeks. It's getting kinda scary."

"So after our argument about the foolishness of magic, what did you do?" He asked.

"I stopped completely. At least I tried." Willow nodded adamantly. She ignored the little twinge of guilt over the memory spells she'd been casting on Tara. She also failed to mention the power she could feel attempting to manifest itself constantly.

Giles replaced his glasses and sighed. "You harnessed incredibly powerful forces to bring Buffy back. Then you attempted to deny the power coursing through you?"

Willow kept her green eyes wide and innocent as she nodded. The watcher studied her for a moment. He felt a twinge of doubt creeping through his mind but decided to take her word for it. For the moment that is. Something she said had set off an alarm in the back of his mind and he needed her to leave so he could figure out what was nagging at him.

"I'll look into finding someone who can teach you how to manage the magical power you've allowed into your essence. It's part of you now and you have to learn how to keep tight control of it. Please keep a note of any more occurrences so we can make sure you don't do anything that's irreversible." He patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"Thank you, Giles." She told him as she stood up. Inwardly she was smirking. 'Rank amateur?' She thought to herself. 'We'll see. I just want to know how to tap into it whenever I want to and you're the best person I know to help me with that.'

He escorted her back out to the main part of the shop. He remained deep in thought for long moments. A feeling of restlessness swept over him.

"Anya. I have an errand to run. Will you be all right?" He said abruptly. The blond ex-demon nodded.

"I'll stay here and collect all the money from the customers." She assured him brightly.

"That's fine." He answered her absently. He collected his coat and left.

**Spike's crypt….**

Spike was watching Passions and sipping a beer when the knock sounded on the door. Faith had gone to her motel for a shower and a change of clothes. Grumbling silently he got up to answer it. He grimaced when he saw Giles standing there. He swept his arm back and invited the watcher in. He resumed his seat and picked up his beer, ignoring his guest.

'Bloody watcher. Last thing I want is any of the sodding Scoobies finding out I can't talk. I don't want to hear any of the crap I'd get from that wanker Harris if he finds out.' Spike glared at Giles.

"Spike. I know you can't speak. I told Clem I'd help find a way to reverse it. I need to know exactly when it happened and what you were doing at the time." The older man said.

The vampire angrily grabbed the paper and pen. 'Do THEY know?' He wrote.

Giles read the question. "They? Buffy and the others? No, they don't. Clem told me you didn't want them to know."

Spike scribbled again. 'What do you think YOU can do about it?'

"If we can pinpoint exactly when it happened and what you were doing, we can figure out what caused it and reverse it. You should have come to me sooner." Giles explained.

Spike shot him a telling look and turned back to the paper. He wrote down the same thing he'd told Clem about the night he'd lost his voice. He defiantly showed it to the watcher.

"I see. This gives me an idea of how it happened but I'm not sure." Giles removed his glasses. Spike watched him clean them with trepidation. This was not a good sign. There was an expression in the human's eyes that shot a bolt of apprehension through the vampire. Replacing his glasses, he looked Spike straight in the eyes.

"I know about you." He said quietly.

Frowning, Spike tried to figure out what Giles meant. He took another look into the other man's eyes and suddenly knew. He responded automatically, forgetting his speechless state.

'Oh, Bloody Hell.'


	9. Blackmail Can Be Useful

Blackmail Can Be Useful

Disclaimer: Not mine, still playing.

Reviews: Yes please. Live for em, crave em, need em like I need Spike moments. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Just wanna say once more to Wayward Childe that your support and encouragement are so helpful you will never know how much I depend on you sometimes. I'm happy we decided to be partners. Thanks.

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Spike ran suddenly shaky fingers through his hair. He jumped up to pace. He didn't notice in his agitation that Giles would have been listening to a very interesting rant. 'No way he found out. How could he? There weren't any records, were there? Damn! Over a century of privacy and all of a sudden some poncy watcher has to go get curious. What tipped him off? Oh, Bloody Hell!'

Giles watched as Spike paced. He could see the vampire's mouth moving furiously. He wished that he could read lips. It appeared that his information was indeed correct. The last niggling little doubt had just been dispelled by the reaction of the blond menace.

Spike stopped and pulled his fist back to punch the wall but hesitated when he heard Giles hiss in a shocked breath. He turned to the human questioningly. He arched his scarred brow.

"Your hands are healed." Giles got up and reached for the remarkably flawless fist. Spike looked at it and shrugged. "Did Faith give you her blood?"

Spike gazed at Giles for a moment trying to determine if telling the truth would get himself dusted. He pulled his fist out of the watcher's grasp and picked up the paper. He took a steadying breath and wrote carefully. 'She made me.'

"_How_? How can she _make_ you feed from her?" Giles demanded.

Spike glared at the human and wrote again. 'She knew I hadn't been feeding. Clem ratted on me. She planted herself in my lap and sliced her neck with a knife. The demon took over and fed. Just a few swallows, I swear.'

Rupert read the note. A distracted part of him noticed the elegant writing. He was also amused to see that the vampire was left-handed. He hadn't noticed either trait before. Spike saw the glint of humor sparking in Giles's green eyes. 'WHAT?' The demand was printed.

"I don't know what you mean." The watcher was beginning to enjoy himself just a little too much.

Spike bared his teeth in a silent snarl. He snatched the paper back and sat down in a huff. He folded his arms and waited. He tapped his foot impatiently.

Giles took the other end of the sofa. He watched the silently fuming vampire for a few minutes. "You know, I could get used to not listening to you spout that atrocious accent that I now know is as fake as your hair color."

Spike dropped his head in defeat. He closed his eyes and turned away from the watching human. He should have known the watcher wouldn't help him. It didn't matter how much he'd helped the lot of them, he'd known that they would just enjoy his misery.

"Spike." Giles called softly. The vampire ignored him, sinking back into the crushing depression that had led to his destruction of his hands. Rupert put his hand on a slender shoulder. Spike shrugged it off and shrank away from the touch.

"Spike, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be teasing you. We can get your voice back. You'll be annoying all of us soon." Giles told him consolingly.

Spike shot up and put the length of the room between them. Giles could see the tension in the slim body. Faith came in the door and took in the situation in a glance.

"Hey, what's going on? Giles, are you upsetting my vampire?" She walked over and slid her arms around Spike's slender waist. He resisted her hug. She moved around to face him and pulled his head down for a kiss. The heat of her mouth melted his anger and he returned her affection. She stepped away after a few searing kisses and faced the other man who was furiously cleaning his glasses. Her smirk brought a smile to Spike's face. He stepped up behind her and put his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry. I came over to talk to Spike about something and lost track of the topic. I was rather surprised to find that you'd fed him your blood." Giles replaced his glasses.

Faith looked back over her shoulder at the blond vampire. "I had to. He wasn't feeding." She said softly.

"Yes, Spike told me, or rather, he wrote me a note. I have a very good idea what happened to his voice and I need both of you to meet me at the Magic Box later." The watcher said.

Spike was shaking his head violently before the sentence was finished.

"Fine. Then why don't we have a seat and discuss the information I've uncovered." Giles felt a tiny flare of guilt at the panic on Spike's face. "Very well. I'll see both of you at the shop at eight."

Faith nodded, vaguely aware of the undercurrent between the two men. If she'd seen the look on Spike's face, she'd have been more suspicious.

**Later, at the Magic Box…**

Giles flipped the closed sign on the door with a sigh. Anya had already closed out the register and locked away the day's receipts. She and Xander were sitting at the research table talking quietly with Tara and Willow. The watcher was keeping a very close eye on the redheaded witch. He wasn't sure but he thought maybe there had been more to her magical mishaps than she'd told him. He was almost completely positive that she was responsible for Spike's speechless state. How he was going to get her to reverse it was currently eluded him. He wandered back to his desk and pulled the well-thumbed file from its hiding place once more. A bemused smile ghosted across his face as the humor of it all struck him. That Angelus would choose this individual to turn at that particular time was astounding. He resolved to have a private word with Spike as soon as his power of speech was returned.

"What do you have there, G-Man?" Xander asked loudly.

"Nothing. Just some personal research." Giles answered mildly. He noticed that Buffy and Dawn had arrived while he was distracted. It was still a few minutes before eight so Faith and Spike had a little time yet.

The bell above the door jangled and the unlikely couple entered. Faith led the way, pulling Spike in by the hand. He had a mutinous look on his face. The thought occurred to Rupert that she'd had to force the vampire into showing up. Once they were safely inside, she released his hand. He grasped the edges of his duster and pulled the old leather closer around his thin body. He leaned against the counter defensively, foregoing his usual position on the staircase.

"We're here." Faith announced.

"So I see. Thank you for coming." Giles came out from his alcove. Buffy eyed the newcomers suspiciously.

"Faith. Why are you with _him_?" The blonde slayer asked.

The brunette stood next to her vampire and crossed her arms over her chest. "There's a reason I shouldn't be?" She wanted to know.

"Several that I can think of. Most of them have to do with that he's a vampire." Buffy told her. The elder slayer stuck her hand in her pocket and fingered the stake she kept there. Spike felt a stab of betrayal at her words. He'd been good enough for _her_ on more than one occasion. His stoic face concealed his thoughts.

Faith gazed up at Spike's remote profile. The expression in her dark eyes surprised everyone. "I'm helping him."

Xander shivered without really knowing why. "He looks fine to me." He said.

Spike's head snapped up and he glared at the carpenter. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself before his secret got out. He sent a pleading look at Giles. He turned his back on the Scoobies and gazed into Faith's eyes. '_I can not do this_.' His lips formed the words deliberately.

"Yes, you can. You have to. It's the only way." Faith told him.

"Um… Faith? Spike didn't say anything." Willow ventured.

"Yes, he did. You just can't hear him." Faith shot back.

Dawn defied her sister and approached the vampire she was very fond of. "Spike? What's wrong?"

Spike's eyes squeezed closed and he tilted his head back. A muscle pulsed in his jaw. Faith put her small hand on his arm. He bent his head back down to look at her. "It's okay. They have to know."

Spike heaved a huge sigh and turned toward the teenager he'd willingly die for. Misery burned in his sapphire eyes as he opened his mouth to speak. 'Niblet.'

Dawn saw his lips move. Could see her nickname formed on them but there was absolutely no sound to go with the movement. Fear ripped through her heart. "Oh my God. You can't speak!"

Silence echoed through the shop at her announcement. Then a chorus of questions pounded the stricken vampire.

"When? How? Were you injured?" Tara's quiet questions made their way to Spike's ears.

Xander was ecstatic. "Oh happy day! Silent Spike. Christmas came early this year." Spike's lips curled back in a snarl. Dawn put a hand on his left arm while Faith took the right.

"Was it a vengeance spell? It sounds like something that a vengeance demon would do. Who did you piss off, Spike?" Anya thought maybe she knew the demon who could devise such a punishment for the vampire.

Willow was unusually quiet. A sneaky, horrible kind of glee was inching its way through her thoughts. Had she done this? Was this another example of her magical misfires? If it was, then when had it happened? They hadn't seen the bleached menace in almost three weeks. Oh Goddess! That night that Buffy had told Spike to shut up and Xander was going on about 'speechless Spike'. They hadn't seen him since that night. Her thoughts allowed the darkness that had been invading her being to grow a little more. Her guilty satisfaction that she'd silenced Spike so easily made her shiver with an evil sort of pleasure.

Giles moved into the center of the room and held up his hand for silence. Buffy ignored him for a minute. She stood in front of Spike and looked up at him with her head tilted. "So, speechless huh? That's new. I have to say that I've really enjoyed the peace and quiet the last few weeks. Can I hope it's permanent?"

A twinge of guilt speared the blonde slayer when she saw the hurt invade the sapphire eyes of her former secret lover. She'd broken off her relationship with him six weeks ago and seeing him so cozy with Faith was prickling her pride. She didn't want him but she needed his fighting skills for patrol and had reluctantly come to depend on him watching her back. Patrol had been more hazardous in the few weeks of his absence although she'd rather get turned than admit she needed him in any capacity. The thought that she was jealous was promptly squelched.

Faith twitched at the vibes being emitted by the two blonds. She saw the flash of hurt shoot through Spike's beautiful eyes. She watched as her new lover's face grew even more remote and withdrawn than before.

'So that's it. I knew someone had hurt him. I would never have guess the ice queen would have unbent so far.' She thought. In the tiny amount of time she'd spent with the blond vampire she'd discovered how sensitive he truly was. He was the antithesis of evil vampire. He might not have a soul but his capacity for human emotions surpassed most people she knew. Anger built swiftly as she realized how damaging to Spike the relationship must had been. The pleased surprise that she was still there when he woke up earlier took on a whole new meaning. Buffy would never have allowed herself to remain in bed with an evil vampire any longer than necessary. She pushed between the two.

"Back off, B. This is my vampire now. You don't get to hurt him any more." She ignored the shock on Buffy's face and the pleading in Spike's eyes for her to let it go. Her dark gaze was caught by the glitter that appeared in the deep blue depths.

'Don't. Please.' His words were unmistakable.

"Don't what?" Faith let her anger slide just a bit. Spike stuck his hand in his duster pocket and pulled out his tablet and pen. He quickly scribbled his note. 'Please, just let it drop. I'll tell you everything later. I promise. Please, Love?'

It was the 'Love' that did it. She gazed into his eyes and responded to the plea with a kiss. "Okay." She breathed. He closed his eyes in relief and nodded. Faith spun around and glared at Buffy.

"Back off. _Now_." She warned. Behind her, Spike pulled his duster closer around his thin body and hunched over. Seeing Buffy again had brought back the pain she'd caused him. The physical pain she'd inflicted on his body combined with the emotional pain of having her in secret and her denials of him in public had nearly broken him. It had almost been a relief when she'd decided not to see him any more in anything other than a slaying capacity. The three weeks before he'd lost his voice had been the most honest part of their entire relationship. She'd reluctantly admitted he was helpful in killing some of the more dangerous demons.

Giles cleared his throat. He fixed a fatherly eye on his slayer. "We will discuss this later, I assure you." He told Buffy. "Now, we need to address Spike's problem and get it corrected."

Xander couldn't help himself. "Can't we leave him? This is so much more fun."

Faith growled and advanced on the boy.

"Faith, leave him alone. Take care of Spike." Giles said gently. "No, Xander, we can't just leave him. This is destroying him."

Attention turned to the blond vampire and the slayer that had wrapped her arms around him. He'd begun to tremble in reaction to all the stresses of the past few weeks. Without the physical outlet of pounding other demons or bedroom walls and without the chemical oblivion provided by alcohol, his composure began to crumble. The additional discomfort of having the Scoobies know about his disability had broken his last remaining shred of pride.

"Willow, I believe that you should be able to reverse the magic that caused Spike's voice to fail." Giles said. Spike's head snapped up from where he'd buried it in Faith's shoulder. He pulled away and began to pace, his mouth moving in silent ranting. It would have been funny if the circumstances hadn't been so serious. More than one human in the room wished for the ability to lip-read at that moment.

'_Red_ did this to me? What did I do to _her_? I can't believe she hexed me! _Me_! I've never treated her anything but nice, well if you don't count the one time I kidnapped her and Chubs. Course I didn't hurt her then, did I? No, I didn't. Threats don't count. A little fear is good for a body. Aren't I the one who kept this little band of slayer wannabes alive during that time Buffy was gone? Saved all their asses more than once, I did.' He stopped in front of Willow. Betrayed pain shone brightly in his eyes as he gazed down at her. '_Why_?'


	10. It's Just Too Easy

It's Just Too Easy

Disclaimer: I own nothing worth suing for. Just like to take em out and play once in a while.

Reviews: Yes, please. Suffering major withdrawal symptoms. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

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'_Why_?' The question hung in the air as if Spike had shouted it. One could have heard a pin drop in the complete stillness of the shop. Spike stood in front of his friend and waited for her answer. The betrayal seared his heart as he tensed with the effort to control the demon screaming to surface and wreak havoc on the humans he'd been forced to depend on. His eyes flickered with gold as he gazed at the witch. Everyone waited tensely for Willow's answer. Tara watched as the darkness in her love's aura grew and twisted through Willow's essence. Fear seeped into the blonde witch's heart. She was losing her love to dark magic.

Willow's green eyes flashed and turned dark. She looked up into the vampire's strained face and began to laugh. The harsh sound startled the onlookers.

"It's just too easy. You, all with your 'I know what it is, I speak its language and I know how to kill it'. You left and Buffy had to kill the thing by herself. I didn't mean to do it and I really didn't know I had until just now. Xander wanted you to be speechless so I guess I sorta granted his wish. The magic is so cool, so powerful. I can feel it coursing through me." Willow smirked at the stricken look on Spike's face. He took a step back. "Oh come on now, it wasn't personal."

She looked around at the others. "Really, all of you look so surprised. You knew I was gaining power. I mean that spell to bring Buffy back was pretty awesome if I do say so. So why shouldn't I use magic to make life a little easier. I didn't hear any of you objecting. All I needed was control and I'm getting that really fast."

"Willow, d-don't you think the magic is getting a l-little too m-much?" Tara stuttered slightly as she fluttered closer to her lover.

The redhead glared at the blonde. "No." She growled. Tara backed away and took refuge behind the counter with Anya.

Xander approached her cautiously. "Wills, we all love you and want the best. But you're scaring us. Come on, let's go home and talk."

"There's nothing to talk about." Willow took a look around at the rest of the Scoobies.

Dawn was half-hidden behind Faith, an action that caused Buffy to frown angrily. "Dawn, come over here please."

The teenager glanced fearfully at where her sister stood. There was no way to get to Buffy without passing close to Willow. She cringed behind the younger slayer a little more. Spike noticed her fear and moved over to wrap his arm around the girl's waist. She snuggled up to him, immediately feeling safer. He guided Dawn across the floor to stand near the blonde slayer. His blue eyes bored into Buffy's green ones. 'Get her home.' The silent words were clear.

Buffy bristled at the order. "I see your lips move but I just can't get what you're saying." She smirked.

Dawn grasped her sister's arm. "Please, Buffy. Take me home." The fear was clear in her young voice.

Willow heard it and approached the sisters. "Don't worry Dawnie, I won't hurt you." The fake concern was evident in the witch's tone but Buffy disregarded it.

"Good idea, let's leave. Come on Dawn, Willow." Buffy turned toward the door.

"Willow, you haven't returned Spike's voice." Giles spoke for the first time since his surprising revelation of Willow's magic use.

She sneered at the blond vampire. "And I don't intend to."

Spike closed his eyes and turned away slightly. Dawn tightened her arm that was still around his waist. "I'm sorry." She whispered. He wrapped his arms around her and cuddled her for a moment before Buffy tugged the teenager free and shoved her toward the door.

Willow turned and gazed at Tara, noticing for the first time that the other witch was making no move to leave with them. "Baby? Are you coming with us?"

"N-no. I-I want to t-talk to Mr. G-giles." Tara stated unsteadily. Her distress increased her infrequent stutter.

"I'll make sure she gets home all right." The watcher told them.

Xander strolled over to the counter. "Ahn, honey. I'm going with them. Are you coming?"

Anya watched Willow carefully. "I have a few things I need to do here. I'll meet you at home later for orgasms."

The carpenter blushed. "Ahn, too many details. 'I'll meet you at home' is enough." He reached over and kissed her. "I love you. See you soon."

"I love you too. You really should stay here with me." The ex-demon gazed at Xander with worry in her brown eyes.

Xander's chocolate gaze held hers calmly. "It will be okay." He said. He joined Buffy, Willow and Dawn at the door.

Willow paused and turned back to the others. Her eyes were completely black. She gazed at Giles, Anya and Tara. "Just remember, you're either with me or against me. I would not be happy if you went against me. What I did to Spike was an accident, a good one but still an accident. Just imagine what I could do on purpose."

Dawn's terrified blue eyes met Spike's dark sapphire ones. He nodded comfortingly wishing he could tell her it would be all right but at that moment he wasn't sure it would be.

Faith grasped Spike's arm and rubbed her hand up and down the tense bicep. Tara's smoky gaze dropped to the floor as she bit her full lower lip. Giles frowned and removed his glasses, his mind racing to find a way to convince the young witch that her power was beyond her control. The door closed as the foursome left.

Faith caught her vampire as he seemed to crumple into himself. The thought that he would never speak again was just too much for him to contemplate. The slayer pulled him close and murmured in his ear. "It's okay, Baby. She's not the only witch in the world. We'll get this fixed I promise. _Don't_ give up."

Anya brought out a book she'd hidden under the register. "If Tara is willing, I have the spell we need to fix your voice."

Spike jerked upright and stared at the blond ex-demon. He transferred his hopeful gaze to Tara and she nodded shyly. "You helped me when my family tried to take me away and you were so nice after Glory brain-sucked me. You were so sweet after I burned your hand in that camper."

Spike tilted his head in bemusement. 'You remember that?'

Tara frowned for a second before she realized what he'd said. She nodded, her smile tremulous. She pulled the book over to read the spell that Anya pointed out. "I can do this. Since Willow didn't use a specific spell, this regular reversal one should work perfectly."

Giles replaced his overly clean glasses. "I need to sit down." He went into his alcove and dropped into his chair. He sat at his desk in sick disbelief. He'd known Willow was a powerful witch but he had never seen the darkness consume anyone so completely before. Even his own experience in the dark arts hadn't prepared him for the total corruption of the young witch's personality. He listened to Tara as she recited the reversal spell and restored Spike's speaking ability. He smiled slightly when he heard the round of curses the young vampire used to exercise his voice.

"Blondie, you're scorching the air. Calm down, Lover. It's okay." Faith was soothing her vampire. "Damn, I've missed that voice. Come here and kiss me." Giles heard the slayer say.

Giles cleaned his glasses again and removed the file from the drawer. "Spike? A word if I may?" He raised his voice and beckoned the blond.

Spike reluctantly let go of his armful of passionate slayer. He cupped her face with a gentle hand. "Luv, why don't you, Tara and Anya go down to the coffee shop? I'll meet you there in just a tick, have to find out what's bugging the watcher." She nodded and the women left the shop. Anya locked the door behind them.

He walked to the back of the shop and leaned on the wall that partially protected the alcove from the main part of the store. "What do you want, Watcher?" He frowned as he spied the folder. "What's that?"

"This?" Giles held up the file. "This is some very interesting information about a human who lived and died just over a hundred years ago."

Spike's already pale face blanched ever whiter. His fears were realized. Giles knew. The older man frowned and stood up quickly. "Spike? Sit down. Are you all right?"

"Um… yeah. I'm just great. Where did you get that information?" The accented voice was lower and less rough than normal. The shaken vampire sank down onto a chair.

The human resumed his seat and leafed through the pages. "From the internet. The ancestry websites are a virtual font of information. I never knew how much one could learn about lineages. The ones in England go back several centuries. Especially the ones dealing with aristocracy."

"But aren't those sites dependent on information compiled by descendents of the people listed?" Spike asked.

Giles nodded. "Most of them in fact. A lot of public records have been posted as well. Birth, death, school records, things like that are getting more and more available." He was shocked when Spike groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"How did you know what to look for?" The question was muffled.

"It was really very easy. I started with death records in London for the year 1880. Eliminated everyone not named William. From there I looked for age and cause of death. It wasn't difficult to narrow it down. I was frankly very surprised. Did Angelus know just who he was turning when he did it?" Giles picked up a copy of a family tree and gazed at it in bemusement.

"No. Dru saw me on the street. She wanted me and Angelus came in just as she was draining me. She almost messed it up and killed me outright. He had to finish it. He always claimed that I turned wrong." Spike completely dropped his cockney accent and Giles was charmed by the gentility in the vampire's 'true' voice. Spike raised his head and trained his startling eyes on the human. "I made sure he never found out. I would be _very unhappy _if he happened to find out now."

"I don't intend to ever tell anyone else. It was something you said that night three weeks ago that…. no, that's not right. It was the way you said it that got me thinking. And I have to admit that in light of my investigation, I find myself in the position of having to apologize to you. Not a comfortable place for me to be, I assure you." Giles smiled to take the sting out of his words.

"Don't need any apology. I just want to know why you had to pry?" Spike was resigned. "Who was it posted all that stuff anyway? Didn't know I had any family left to do something like that."

"Well, as I said, a lot of the public records are there. The school records were a little harder to get into. What I found most fascinating was the family tree that a distant cousin of yours compiled. He died a few years ago. He didn't have any other relatives. At least none that were known to him at the time." Giles gazed at the tree. He hadn't really been able to keep his mind from wandering to the chart.

Spike was intrigued against his will by the expression on the watcher's face. "What's so interesting, Rupert?" He stood up to peer over the other man's shoulder. "_Oh, Bloody Hell_!" The chart covered Spike's family, going back from William by two generations. Spike saw his grandparents and his parents listed. His full name, birth date and date of death were all there in black and white. As an only child, his branch ended with his death. He had not known that he'd had an uncle on his father's side and that his mother had had a sister, both of whom were listed and their descendents were all detailed on the chart. He'd also been unaware that the estate and the title had been passed on to his uncle's children. With the death of his cousin, the estate was lying unclaimed in the English banks.

"If you were of a mind, you could go claim your inheritance." Giles commented mildly.

"Lord William Wordsworth died in a barn in 1880. He can't inherit." Spike sputtered. Agitated, he set the chart aside. "What else have you got there?" He reached for the other papers. "_Oh Dear God_." He breathed.


	11. I'm Not Him Anymore

I'm Not Him Anymore

Disclaimer: Just playin with em, I'll put em back nicely when I'm done.

Reviews: Yes, please. Air and water have nothing on reviews for making life worth living. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Thanks to Wayward Childe for his proofreading and encouragement. You keep me on track Partner.

Hey, everybody go read 'Fuzzy Dreams' by Wayward Childe. It's a hoot. Totally funny.

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Spike stared at the pages in his hand. He sank back down into his chair. His head spun with the implications of the information he held. Giles knew it all. He knew about Oxford and Cambridge. He knew that William had studied law and languages and poetry, not that the last subject had sunk into him. No matter how much his mother had wished it, William had never been able to do anything more with poetry than simply appreciate it for its beauty. With shaking fingers the vampire shifted through the printouts and blinked when he saw copies of his diplomas in the file. Spike's deepest held secrets were there. His vision narrowed until all he could see was the black and white of the pages in his hand. He started badly when Giles touched his arm.

"Spike? Are you all right? Can I get you anything?" The watcher was concerned the vampire was too close to passing out.

Dazed blue eyes rose until they met concerned green ones. "_Why_?" The question shook with shock.

"As I said, there was something about the way you spoke that night. Believe it or not your accent dropped just a little. I knew then you'd been to university. Imagine my surprise with I discovered…" He waved his hand over the diplomas.

"Well, there wasn't much else to do. Mother wanted me to be a poet like my namesake." Spike smiled a little as he ran his finger over the banner on his first diploma. The one from Oxford declaring that William James Wordsworth had earned honors in law.

"I wondered…" Giles began.

Spike looked up. "No, not related. At least not as far as I know. If there is a relationship it's buried back there in the darkest branches of the tree. Mother loved his poetry and hoped that naming me after the original would somehow give me a small bit of talent but as much as she said she loved my poems, they were utter rubbish."

Giles smiled slightly. He pulled a small book out of the drawer. Spike noticed that it seemed to be very old and frowned. The watcher opened it to a page marked with a ribbon. He held the book out to the puzzled vampire who took it and glanced at it. His mouth dropped open in shock. The first page was a biography, woefully short, as the author had died in his mid-twenties. Slender, trembling fingers carefully turned the yellowed pages as astonished sapphire eyes read words that had been written over one hundred years before. He closed the cover and reopened it to look for a copyright date. It had been published in 1885.

Spike swallowed heavily and dragged in a huge unneeded breath. He couldn't seem to control the dizziness that fuzzed the edges of his vision. He shook his head and held the book up slightly. "Who…? How…? Um…" He stuttered.

Giles grabbed the book as it threatened to slip from the cool fingers. "Apparently your mother had changed her will after you died instructing that everything you'd written must be published. She set up a small trust and assigned your cousin to the task."

A small chuckle escaped. "I didn't know I had a cousin."

"Anyway, five years after you died, your cousin Sarah managed to find a publisher and paid for the publishing. There were just a few copies printed. Most of them went to relatives. This copy was in my personal library. Imagine my surprise." The watcher grinned as shock once more deepened the dark blue eyes of the blond. He handed the book back.

"How did _you_ get a copy?" Spike tilted his head, cautiously turning the fragile pages. He moved to the end of the book to see how many of his poems had actually been included. He'd destroyed the ones he'd written on the night he'd died.

"I got it at an estate sale just before I came to be Buffy's watcher." Giles opened another drawer and pulled out a bottle of Scotch with two glasses. He held up the alcohol in a wordless question.

"Oh yes, please." Spike breathed, the polite acceptance once more surprising the older man. Spike closed the small antique book, set it carefully on the corner of the desk and accepted the generous drink. Sipping it, he picked up more papers from the file. With growing disbelief, he studied each one. He smiled a little when he came to his second degree, this one from Cambridge, stating that he'd earned honors in languages.

"Mother would have preferred this to be in poetry." He remembered. "Probably would have gone for another one but she took ill and I dropped my studies to care for her. I missed school even though I caught hell there for not being a very good poet despite my name." He drained his glass. "Don't have any secrets left. Do I, Rupert?"

"Oh, I'm sure there are a few things about your life, or unlife as it were, that I don't know about." The watcher observed dryly as he refilled Spike's glass.

"Wouldn't do for the Wanker's Council to know everything, now would it?" Spike snarked. Giles smiled involuntarily at the uncomplimentary nickname being spoken in that genteel accent. His smile grew to a grin at another thought.

Spike eyed that grin suspiciously. "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking that we both present a false image to the world." Giles commented.

"How would that be?" The vampire dropped the papers back onto the desk and sat back.

"Have you ever heard of 'Ripper'?" Giles asked after a couple of minutes.

"As in 'Jack the' or 'Ripper' as in the mage who terrorized London a few years back?" Spike smiled a bit at the memory. He hadn't been in London at the time but had heard about the magical mischief that had made an impact on the demonic world. "Not many demons believed in Ripper. I heard he mended his ways and became a watcher. Didn't he…. Ripper?"

Giles let an abashed smile emerge. "Yes, he did."

Spike held up his glass in a toast. "Here's to being reformed."

Rupert chuckled as he tapped his drink against Spike's. "You consider yourself reformed?"

Spike stood up to pace. "Oh _Hell_, yes. William was a ponce. He was weak and pathetic. He didn't have any friends and the woman he loved was a bitch who took great delight in telling him he was beneath her." He stopped short in his steps and dropped his head. "I guess not that much has changed after all."

Giles straightened the papers and closed the folder. He carefully placed the book on top of the file. "William was sensitive and creative. He loved his mother and earned degrees in the two most prestigious universities in the world. He was intelligent and could have made a real difference in the world if not for Angelus. _You_ are intelligent. _You_ are sensitive and caring. I've seen you with Dawn and Faith."

Spike raised his head and trained golden eyes on his companion. "I am a _demon_. I'm _evil_ and I'm _not_ sensitive." He raked a hand through his hair. "And, oh _God_ I can't even make it _sound_ convincing any more. I _am_ pathetic."

The human stood up and tentatively placed a hand on Spike's slender shoulder. "No, you're not."

Spike shrugged the hand off in agitation. "All I know is that I'm not him anymore. I can't be. Drusilla rescued me from a mediocre existence. She and Angelus gave me a life of power and strength. I've enjoyed being a vampire. I can't and won't go back to William's pitiful life. Do you _know_ how many times I've felt like just taking a walk in the sun since they put this sodding chip in my head?"

"And the fact that you haven't is a testimony to your strength." Giles observed.

"Wasn't strength. It was a promise. I promised Buffy I'd protect Dawn. I failed once, don't plan on ever doing it again." Spike put distance between them.

Rupert gaped at the vampire. "_Failed_? How do you think you failed Dawn?" He didn't notice the return of Spike's 'cockney' accent.

"Bloody well let myself get pushed off the tower by that little git. Let Buffy die, didn't I? Tried to be there for the slayer when she got back. Let her use me, tried to love her the way she deserved but got kicked in the knackers for it. Should have just let her stake me but no, had to take whatever attention she'd give even if it was negative. Was like one of those whipped dogs you see, get abused by their owners but don't have enough brains to run away, just stays around hoping that just once there'd be a little affection something more than a kick to the head." Spike had turned his back to the stunned human and covered his eyes. He'd forgotten he had an audience. Buffy had made it clear she'd kill him if he ever told anyone of their ill-advised relationship. She'd told him in no uncertain terms that she was embarrassed that she'd stooped so low that she'd had a physical relationship with something as disgusting as him.

"Buffy _abused_ you?" Giles tried to wrap his brain around the incredible information he was hearing. "That's what Faith meant, that Buffy couldn't hurt you anymore."

Spike started and whirled around, dropping his hand. Giles was staggered to see moisture on the vampire's handsome face. "Oh Bloody Hell, forgot you were there. I'm staked now for sure. She warned me never to tell anyone. Might as well dust me now, Rupes. No way is she gonna let me live now."

The watcher poured himself another large drink before topping off the vampire's glass. "I'll need to talk to Buffy about what Faith said but I will never let her know you said anything. What are you going to do about Faith? I can't let you hurt her."

Spike let out a harsh laugh. "Couldn't if I wanted to. You have no idea what she's done for me."

"Oh, I think I do." Giles said very softly. "Why don't you tell me anyway?"

The vampire sat down in the desk chair and began to relate the events of the past few days between hefty sips of the excellent alcohol.

"I saw her breaking your hands." Giles confessed sympathetically from his position in the other chair. "I thought she was torturing you until I saw her crying."

"She was crying over me?" Spike asked in disbelief. He shook his head. "I don't think so. That one doesn't cry, too tough. Were you gonna leap in and save me from the mean little slayer?"

The human smiled at the sarcasm. "I think maybe I would have." He could feel the effects of the alcohol he'd consumed.

"I think maybe you've had a little too much." Spike took control of the bottle and firmly put the cap back on it. He stashed it safely back in its drawer and slid the file back into the other drawer. He picked up the book to put it away. He hesitated a fraction of a second before placing the small proof of his former existence out of sight. His sharp ears picked up the sound of Anya's key in the lock of the front door.

"Hey, Blondie? Everything okay back there? Not gonna have to hurt the watcher for messing with my vamp, am I?" Faith called.

A shiver of delight crawled down Spike's spine at the possessive note in the dark-haired slayer's voice. His unbeating heart seemed to give a little leap of joy at the sensation. Giles watched the lean face soften and a light begin to glow in the sapphire eyes. He felt something shift, a readjustment of his perceptions of vampires in general and this vampire in particular. He knew enough to realize that Spike was different but the watcher hadn't realized the extent of the anomaly. He watched the not-so-evil bloodsucker swipe at the remaining moisture from his face and inhale. A nearly imperceptible change fell over the lean body as he stood up. Rupert could see the last vestiges of William fall away leaving pure vampire in its wake.

The two men moved into the main portion of the shop where the three females waited. Faith slid her arms around Spike's waist and raised her face for a kiss. Tara smiled at the change in Spike and Faith's auras. They fit together the way Spike and Buffy never had. Buffy had never been able to let go of the notion that soulless meant evil. Tara had realized early on that Spike's evilness had been more of a façade than anything else. He'd adapted to evilness as a way of survival. The chip had stopped him nearly as effectively as a soul. The blonde witch had seen the hampered vampire's hopeless love for Willow's best friend and had watched silently as his spirit had withered under the continued abuse Buffy had heaped on his devoted heart. She'd been forced to sit back mutely and listen to Buffy cry about 'letting the evil, soulless thing do those things to her' all the while seeing the darkness in the slayers aura that belied the story.

Giles cleared his throat, causing the vampire and the slayer to break apart. They grinned unrepentantly at the watching trio.

Anya fidgeted for long moments. "If you're finished for now, I'd like to get home to my Xander and have my own orgasms."

Faith smirked while Giles cleaned his glasses. "Yes, quite. We should get you and Tara home. If you're ready…" The elder Brit trailed off with a wave of his hand.

Spike gazed soberly at his new confidant. "Watcher, we need to decide what to do with Red."

"I know Spike, but right now we need to go home and get a good nights sleep. Tara? Are you going back to Buffy's?" Giles smiled gently at the shy blonde.

She nodded. "I think that would be best. At least for tonight, I don't want to upset her."

Spike and Faith watched with their arms around each other as Giles guided Anya and Tara into his car. They waved as the troubled watcher, the ex-demon and the shy witch drove away. Faith turned in Spike's arms and pulled him down for a heated kiss. Long minutes later she pulled away breathlessly and tugged him down the street toward his crypt.

"Your place. Now, Blondie. Motel's not safe, too much sun." She babbled as she pulled the bemused vamp along. Running the last bit of distance to the quiet crypt in their haste. They tumbled into his bedroom in a tangle of arms and legs, clothing falling in piles as they kissed their way to the bed.

Much, much later, Spike rose up on his elbow and gazed down at the lovely woman who'd barreled her way into his heart. She'd healed his shattered spirit as swiftly and surely as she dusted a fledgling. He ran a trembling finger down her downy cheek, pausing as she murmured in her sleep and snuggled closer. He drew her into his cool embrace, lying down and letting himself drift into sated unconsciousness.

**At the Summers house…**

Tara waved goodbye to Giles and Anya, then let herself into the house quietly hoping to make it to the room she shared with Willow without disturbing Buffy or Dawn. She tread silently and gracefully up the stairs and opened the door to the master bedroom. Willow was sitting in the vanity chair brushing her long red hair viciously.

"W-willow? Are you o-okay?" Tara asked quietly.

"Depends on whether or not you restored that vampire's voice." Willow retorted. "Is that what took you so long?"

"Well... Anya had the spell and M-mr. Giles said it needed to be done. I'm sorry if you disapprove." Tara told her with a little more confidence. "Spike had Faith take Anya and me for coffee so he and Mr. Giles could talk. Mr. Giles drove me home."

Willow slammed her brush down on the table, causing Tara to jump nervously. "Does that mean you're against me?" She demanded.


	12. Drawing The Line

Drawing The Line

Disclaimer: Not owning anything but a very strange imagination.

Summary: Buffy confesses to Giles and Spike makes a discovery.

Reviews: Yes, please. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Sorry it's taken sooo long to get this chapter up but somehow got a massive case of writer's block. But only with this story as you've all noticed with the updates to the Xander/Spike 'Can't Help But See' story. Anyway, it's here and I hope you enjoy it.

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Tara faced Willow. She was trembling but determined. "No, I'm not against you. I love you. You know that. But leaving Spike like that was just cruel. The magic is too much you have to back away from it before you cause someone real damage."

Willow stared at Tara for long moments. The blonde was frightened by the malevolence in the unnaturally dark gaze. "I love you, Willow." She whispered desperately.

Slowly the blackness receded. Willow gasped as her green eyes returned to normal. "Tara, what's happening?"

"I don't know sweetie. But we'll fix it I swear. I love you." Tara inched closer until she could wrap her arms around the shaking redhead.

**The next day, Spike's crypt…**

Faith rose on one elbow until she could look down into Spike's sleeping face. She was slightly shocked that she had spent a second complete night with the vampire. She stretched slowly enjoying the pull of well-used muscles. She'd been pleasantly surprised to discover that his sexual appetite was a good match for her own. Having his voice back was definitely a plus as far as she was concerned. His whispered endearments had added a whole new level of pleasure to their lovemaking. His thick lashes fluttered as he became aware of her scrutiny. His full lower lip stuck out in a pout and his sparkling gaze peeked at her from their dark fringe.

"Just what are you looking at, Pet?" His sleep-roughened voice sent a shiver down Faith's spine. She realized that no one else had ever done that to her. She smiled softly.

"You." She answered.

Spike's slender fingers threaded through her tousled hair. He tugged her down for a slow kiss, licking his lips when she finally raised her head. "Yum." He murmured. She grinned down at him.

"So what are you planning to do today?" She asked. She let her dark eyes roam over his handsome face, liking what she saw.

"Weelll, considering it's daytime, I'm kinda limited. Unless you're fond of the sewers…" He let his words trail off as he became distracted by a strand of silky dark hair draped over her bare shoulder.

A lascivious gleam entered her chocolate gaze. "Not overly fond of going underground." She mused. "Wonder how I could keep you occupied until sundown."

"Oh, I'm sure I could think of something." Spike smiled slowly as he drew her face back down to his. He grasped her hand and jerked her elbow from beneath her and flipped her quickly so she was reclining under his slender form.

"If you can't, I'm sure I could." Faith had time to say before his mouth caught hers in a passionate kiss.

**Later at the Magic Box…**

Giles was in the training room with Buffy as he guided her through her normal training routine. He debated silently with himself over the best way to approach the touchy subject of the blond vampire that his slayer had apparently misused. He grunted softly as she landed a particularly strong blow to the punching bag he was steadying.

"Buffy." He puffed breathlessly. "We need to talk."

"Those words never precede anything good." Buffy began to unwind the tape from her knuckles. "What's on your mind?"

Giles led her over to the sofa, took a seat and patted the cushion in invitation for her to sit down next to him. "I'd like to know what Faith meant when she told you that you couldn't hurt Spike any more."

Buffy jumped up and paced agitatedly in front of her watcher. "He's just so annoying." The blonde slayer began to rant. "He provokes me. Sometimes I think he enjoys getting beat down. He lives for the pain. You know?"

Rupert slid his glasses off and pulled out his handkerchief to clean them. "Somehow I doubt that." He remarked mildly.

"Buffy." He paused in his glasses cleaning. "Did you have a relationship with Spike?"

She stopped and whirled around to stare at him. "_What_? How can you ask that? I'd _never_… I couldn't… He's an evil, soulless thing…"

Giles had his answer in her bluster. He nodded. "I thought that you had. The way you've treated him recently and his changed attitude toward you were fairly good indicators that there was something between the two of you. I'm not going to judge you, you _are_ an adult. I just would like you to know that I want you to be happy and I get the feeling that you've been as far from that as you can get. I'm sorry your friends pulled you from Heaven." He paused at her flinch. "To be honest, I cannot regret that you are back. But I don't think you've dealt with your feelings stemming from their actions. I believe that you took your anger and sorrow out on Spike."

Buffy gaped at her father figure. "It's not like it affects him. He's soulless. He _can't_ feel. He says he loves me but I don't think that's possible. How can he love without a soul? It's just not possible." She sat down again.

"I think you'll find that Spike is an unusual vampire. He's an anomaly in the demon world. I believe he can and does feel. You didn't see him after your death. He was nearly destroyed. In all my years as a watcher, I've never seen a vampire weep. Buffy, he _sobbed_ over your body. He was broken, bloodied and we had to _drag_ him away so he wouldn't get caught in the sun. He didn't want you to be alone. It was days before he'd feed again and it was Dawn who convinced him he needed to survive. He loved you." Giles finished. He gazed at her bent head.

"_Loved_?" She didn't miss the past tense.

"Yes, loved. But I fear that your treatment of him has killed that feeling. He may continue to care for you but I believe he no longer loves you." He watched her carefully.

"I always do that, don't I?" She whispered miserably. "Chase away the people who love me. It's the men in particular who leave. My dad, Angel, Riley and you were going to leave. God, I'm _so glad_ you decided to stay. I couldn't do this without you. I've leaned on you a little too much and I promise I'll try to do better. Just don't leave me. _Please_, Giles." She began to cry.

"Buffy. I _told_ you I was staying. But we're not talking about me; we're talking about Spike. Buffy? What _did_ you do to him?" He asked as gently as he knew how. He was not surprised when she leaned on his shoulder and, between sobs, began to tell him everything about her ill-fated relationship with the blond vampire.

The extent of her mistreatment of Spike nauseated Giles. Letting nothing of his feelings show, he used his handkerchief to dry her face as she wound down. "Thank God you broke it off before you drove him to desperation." He murmured.

She nodded and sniffled. "It was killing me. I couldn't face his 'love' any more. I didn't consider how it was affecting him. I guess it was killing him too. But I didn't really care how he felt. How could I have been such an unfeeling bitch?"

"Buffy, I don't believe that. There must have been a point when you cared how he felt or you would have continued with your assignations. I think his only concern was for you and helping you adjust to your resurrection." Giles rubbed her overly slender back comfortingly. "I believe he has moved on with Faith. Are you all right with that?" He asked.

She blew her nose in his handkerchief causing him to wince slightly. "I think so. I mean he was there all that time. Annoying but constant, you know?" She smiled vaguely. "Like a toothache you get used to and when it goes away you miss it."

Giles chuckled. "A toothache. Surprisingly concise but I don't think Spike would appreciate being compared to a toothache. Think of the slight to his 'big bad' reputation."

Buffy giggled. "Should I tell him?"

"Heavens no! Let him keep his illusion. I think he needs his self-image." Rupert smiled as he remembered the refined Victorian gentleman he'd been talking to the previous evening. His smile morphed into a huge grin as he recalled the disparity between the cultured accent and the bleached hair and leather duster. He rested his head against the wall as he remembered the conversation with the atypical vampire.

"What's so funny?" Buffy sat up and eyed him curiously.

He shook his head. "Nothing I can share." He answered cryptically. He took a closer look at his slayer. "Are you all right now?"

She nodded. "I feel much better."

"Please don't feel you can't talk to me. You can tell me anything. I promise I'll try to help no matter what the problem may be." His sage green eyes gazed at her steadily.

"Okay. Have I ever told you that I love you?" She asked shyly.

"I believe it may have been mentioned once but it's always nice to hear. I love you, too. I couldn't be more proud of you if you were my biological daughter." He told her sincerely.

**Just before sunset, Spike's crypt….**

"Where're you going?" Spike spoke without opening his eyes. He'd woken up to the rustle of Faith getting dressed.

"Just back to the motel to shower and snag some clean clothes. Thought I'd get a bite to eat while I'm at it." She answered as she sat on the side of the bed.

"It's almost safe for me to go out. Why don't you wait for me and I'll go with?" The blond vampire sat up and ran his finger down her arm.

Faith smiled as she shivered at the tickling sensation. "Cause I have things I have to do. I'll meet you at the Magic Box in a couple of hours, okay?"

Spike stuck his lower lip out in an adorable pout. "You're tired of me already?"

She dove in and snagged his lip to nibble on. When she had him panting needlessly, she relented. "Of course not. I can get things done faster without some sexy vamp distracting me."

He peeked at her through his thick lashes. "I'm a distraction?"

"Look you. I'm on to all your cute little tricks. Stop it." She put her hand over his sparkling eyes.

He tilted his head back and placed a kiss on her palm. "Okay, Pet. I'll behave." He grinned at her. "Now that I think of it, I have a few things I need to see to."

Spike reclined on the pillows and watched her finish getting dressed. Part of him mourned her golden skin getting covered up in her leather pants and tank top. She stomped her boots on and slid her jacket over her shoulders. "So I'll meet you at the Magic Box in two?"

He gracefully got out of the bed and stalked over to pull her into a hug. She ran her hands appreciatively down his leanly muscled back to cup his bare ass. He chuckled into her neck. "Keep that up and you'll miss your shower." He teased.

She grinned. "Just making sure you don't forget about me."

"No chance of that." He murmured between nuzzling kisses.

Faith gave her vampire one last kiss and shoved his tempting nakedness away. She watched covetously as he slid his long pale legs into his black jeans. "Okay." She heaved a relieved sigh. "I'm going now. See you in a couple, okay?"

Spike hunted through his dresser, sure he had at least one more clean t-shirt in it. "Right, Pet, a couple of hours, Magic Box. Got it." He answered distractedly, his mind already half on the conversation he needed to have with the Watcher. He hoped fervently that this would be the one time his plan did not miserably fail. If he recalled correctly, there was a very important document in Rupert's file.

Faith watched him for another moment. She knew he had mentally deserted her and she really didn't mind. She was beginning to appreciate that he was not as dumb as Buffy had made him out to be. There were hidden depths to the blond vampire and she was just the slayer to discover just how deep those depths were. She grinned as she climbed the ladder, investigation sure could be fun.

**Later at the Magic Box…**

Spike and Giles were again sequestered in the alcove poring over the papers that the Watcher had gathered.

"I _know_ I saw it." Spike was muttering viciously as he shuffled the papers around.

"Calm down, we'll find it." Giles sifted through his half of the papers once more. He froze as a name leapt out at him. "Here. Is this it?"

Spike grabbed the document and scanned it quickly. He closed his eyes in relief. He laughed. "I don't bloody believe it."

Giles reached for the paper as the vampire shoved towards him. The paragraph Spike indicated stunned the older man.

_'The Wordsworth estate is to be held in trust indefinitely until the descendant of William James Wordsworth can be located. This descendant would of direct lineage from the childe William James Wordsworth sired with his companion Drusilla, whose last name has never been determined.'_

"This cousin knew I was a vampire, Rupert. Look at the wording and the spelling of 'childe'. He _knew_." Spike laughed.

Giles cleaned his glasses in bemusement. "This means you _can_ claim your rightful inheritance."

Spike frowned. "Need documentation. Damn. Another plan gone bollocks up. Wanted to make things good for Faith. She deserves more than a damp, dirty hole in the ground." He seemed to be talking to himself.

Giles studied the blond's bent head for long moments. "I know someone who might be able to help." He said finally.

"Not takin the piss are you, Watcher?" Spike ventured hopefully.

Rupert shook his head. "You should have your estate within a few weeks." The brilliance of the vampire's smile nearly blinded the human.

Both men looked toward the front of the shop when they heard Anya greet Tara and Willow. Spike winced when his sharp vampiric hearing picked up Willow's voice. He'd considered her a friend and her hexing of him had hurt. She'd started changing after Buffy's resurrection. It amazed the vampire that no one else had noticed. Once in a while it appeared as if Tara were becoming afraid of Willow's magic but those instances were few and far between. Not for the first time Spike wondered if the redhead was somehow manipulating the shy blonde. His own words from the night Buffy had returned sounded in his ears.

'_That's the thing about magic. There's always consequences. Always!'_

He froze. "Rupert."

Giles turned his questioning face toward his companion. "Yes, Spike?"

Shocked sapphire eyes pinned the human. _"I know what's wrong with Red."_


	13. Finding The Consequences

Finding The Consequences

Disclaimer: Don't own em, just playin.

Reviews: Yes, please. Reader Rock but Reviewers RULE!

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Giles moved closer to Spike to quietly inquire what the vampire meant. "You know what's wrong with Willow?"

"I think so." Spike glanced toward the main area of the shop. "We have to investigate the spell that Red used to bring Buffy back. I told the Whelp something that night and I might have been more right than I thought." He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Giles was intrigued once more with the transformation from snarky vampire to intelligent young man. The older man waited impatiently for long minutes.

"Well? What _did_ you tell Xander?" Giles prompted.

The blond vampire shook himself slightly to pull away from the painful memories. "'_That's the thing about magic. There's always consequences. Always!' _Now that I think about it, maybe there were more consequences than just that demon that hitched a ride with the slayer." He stopped when his vampiric hearing picked up the not-so-welcome voice of the slayer in question. His platinum head tilted as he concentrated on overhearing what his ex-lover was saying. Ordinarily he merely identified the speaker and tuned out private conversations but he'd heard his name mentioned and needed to know why. Giles watched silently as he recognized the 'listening mode' of his companion. He'd seen the action numerous times while patrolling with the vampire during the long miserable summer that his slayer had been gone. He'd not witnessed it recently, admittedly because of the separation of vampire and Scoobies as soon as it had been ascertained that Buffy had returned to them relatively unchanged.

Without conscious thought, Spike began straightening the papers and returning them to the file. Rupert could tell the vampire's attention was not on his task but on whatever he was listening to so intently. The human watched as the lean features of the blond grew more remote and distant. It occurred to the watcher that whatever Spike was hearing, it was not pleasant. He jumped when Spike spoke.

"Rupes, just get Glenda to tell you what spell was used. Find out what she had to do to cast it, everything. Don't let her leave out a single detail." Spike cleared his throat as his voice grew husky. He finished stacking the papers and closed the folder before sliding it into the drawer. His slender fingers caressed the small book once more then placed it carefully on top of the file. He used excessive caution to close the drawer and turn the key. "Tell Faith I couldn't wait, something came up."

Giles stared at the keyring Spike held out to him. "Are you all right?" He couldn't stop the question.

A small bitter smile flickered across Spike's mouth. "I'm fine. Evil and soulless, remember?"

The watcher gaped at Spike. "I talked to Buffy…"

Spike visibly swallowed, a spark of pain flashed through his dark blue eyes. "Not Buffy. Willow." He turned and left the alcove, unfortunately having to pass through the main portion of the shop before he could leave by way of the back door. The sudden silence that met his appearance gave Giles a moment's concern. Guilt was reflected on more than one female face. Willow being the one without a trace of discomfort on her pretty features.

Giles cast a sweeping glance at the women he considered family before following Spike through the training room and out into the alley. He watched Spike as he leaned against the wall attempting to light a cigarette with shaking fingers. The vampire cursed and thudded his head back on the unyielding bricks. The human approached cautiously, well aware of the unpredictable nature of the blond's temper.

"Spike? What happened in there? What did you hear?" Giles asked quietly.

Spike chuckled humorlessly. "Nothing. I didn't hear anything I haven't heard before." He contemplated the end of his cigarette. He inhaled. "Just get that documentation, yeah? I really want to get a better place for Faith." Discarding the half-smoked white cylinder, he pushed away from the wall and strode out of the alley.

**Ten minutes earlier… **

Anya glanced up as she heard the bell above the door announce Buffy and Dawn's arrival. Willow and Tara were already at the research table leafing through a couple of spell books.

"Hey, Wills, Tara. What's up?" Buffy greeted the witches amiably.

"Well, I was just wondering what possessed Anya and Tara to return Spike's voice last night?" Willow's sudden attack startled them all.

"They did?" Dawn's delight was apparent but she was the only one happy about the restoration of her friend's speaking ability.

"It wasn't right to leave him like that." Anya stated defensively. "It's not as if it was a vengeance curse. I wouldn't have helped reverse one of those but what you did was an accident and he might be annoying but he didn't deserve it."

Tara watched nervously as her lover glowered at the ex-demon. "He's an evil, soulless demon and doesn't deserve anyone's kindness or consideration. It may have been an accident but I can't regret it. I like having the power to do things like that." Willow's eyes grew dark with her anger.

"While I'm inclined to agree with the evil, soulless part." Buffy began. "There's a part of me that has to admit that Spike without his voice just isn't the same. Patrolling the past three weeks has been pretty hard. I hadn't realized how much he helps."

Dawn grinned in approval at her sister. "You like him!" The teenager stated.

Buffy's face scrunched in a scowl. "Eeeewww. No! He's a demon. There's no liking of evil vampires by the slayer. He's handy. He can be useful. But liking him is so not gonna happen."

Anya's constant glances toward the back of the shop finally registered on the consciousness of the others.

"Anya? What's wrong?" Tara asked.

The blonde ex-demon cast one more nervous look toward the office and shrugged. "Spike's here."

Dawn elbowed her sister when she saw the vampire in question emerge from the alcove. Unnatural silence fell over the girls as they watched the blond exit through the training room. After a short uncomfortable pause, Giles followed him out.

"Oh, God. I wonder if he heard." Dawn closed her eyes in hope that her friend had been spared the cruel words being said about him.

They watched the door and waited quietly for Giles to return. He closed the door firmly and turned to face the source of Spike's distress. His sage green eyes gazed soberly at the girls. He opened his mouth to speak but was forestalled as Faith bounced in the door, setting the bell jangling. He smiled at her exuberance. Her dark eyes scanned the interior of the shop and Rupert saw her expectant stance wilt just a little when she didn't see a certain vampire anywhere in the room.

"Hey, Giles. What's the stitch? Haven't seen my vampire lurking around have you?" Faith's question caused guilty shuffling among the female Scoobies. It didn't go unnoticed by the dark haired slayer. "What's going on? Where's Spike? Is he okay? Giles?"

The Watcher removed his glasses for cleaning, making the younger slayer even more nervous. "Giles! Tell me! _Where's Spike_?" She rushed over to pull on his arm in her agitation.

"Faith, I'm sorry." He began.

"No! You _bitch_! Did you stake him? I'll _kill_ you!" Faith's dive toward Buffy was halted by Rupert's hand clasping her arm.

"Faith! No. It's not that. He had to leave. He said to tell you something came up. Come with me." He tugged her toward the training room.

She resisted his insistent tug toward the back of the building, finally allowing him to draw her away from the others into the privacy of the back room.

"Faith. It's all right. Apparently they were talking about him and he overheard it. Instead of causing a confrontation over it, he left. I'm sure you'll find him at his crypt." The relief on her face melted his heart. "You really care about him." It was a statement rather than a question.

The brunette smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, who would've believed _me_ falling for a _vampire_?" Her chocolate eyes softened at the thought of the unusual love she'd discovered. "He's different."

Giles smiled at her distraction. "You have no idea." He murmured.

She looked up from her musing. "What?"

"Nothing." He patted her shoulder.

Anya opened the door and stuck her head through. "Giles, there's someone here to see you." She said.

"Go ahead and close for the day. I'll be there in a moment." He answered her. He turned back to the former rogue slayer. "Are you all right now?"

"Five by five, G. Gonna go find my vamp, okay?" She smiled at him. "Guess I need to figure out how to cheer him up."

Giles laughed. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

He locked the door behind the younger slayer, still smiling about her happiness over her new romance with the blond vampire. He was thoughtful by the time he moved over to enter the main part of the shop. He was surprised to see a tall lanky young man in a smartly tailored suit. The girls were gathered around the poor chap who brightened immeasurably at the sight of the watcher.

"Excuse me, ladies." The crisp British accent roused Giles's curiosity. A nervous smile creased the stranger's lean face. He shoved shaky fingers through straight brown hair and moved toward the older Brit. Anya, Buffy and Dawn in particular watched him as he escaped their circle. He glanced back at the giggling girls. "Not very shy are they?"

"Sometimes, but not often. How can I help you?" Giles led the young man to the back of the shop and into the privacy of the alcove.

The stranger reached into his jacket pocket and extracted a small white card. "My name is Gerald Whitestone and I'm a private detective representing the law firm of Colson, Waverly and Hunter. Are you Rupert Giles?"

Rupert accepted the card and glanced at it briefly before laying it on the desk. "Yes." He said briefly, not wanting to commit to anything before he knew what this man wanted.

"The same Rupert Giles who recently did an Internet search for…" His question was interrupted when Giles held up his hand.

"I would rather not discuss this here." He said, glancing toward the outer room where he _knew_ the girls were barely containing their curiosity.

The private detective nodded, his composure returning now that he was no longer the object of attention from the young American girls. "Where then?" He asked. Giles scribbled down his home address on a scrap of paper and handed it over.

"Meet me here in one hour." Giles instructed.


	14. Lords And Ladies In Waiting

Lords And Ladies In Waiting

Disclaimer: Not mine, wish they were.

Summary: Don't think I'll tell.

Reviews: Yes, please. Love reviews more than is healthy. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Evil! WayWard Childe! You called me Evil! Thanks, you made my day. And before anyone yells at me, I just want to say that this is _my_ fic and if I say it can happen, it can. So there.

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Faith entered the crypt fully expecting to see her favorite vampire lounging in front of his television. He wasn't. Shrugging, she moved over to the trap door and made her way down the ladder into the bedroom hoping he was waiting for her on the queen-sized bed she loved. He wasn't there either. Worried now, she sat on the edge of the bed to think a moment. She began to wish she'd known the bleached one longer than just the few days.

"Think, Faith. You overheard stuff that upset you what would you do?" She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, hands clasped together. She sagged as the answer struck. "Get drunk, of course. Try to forget it the quickest way possible. Okay, this is Spike we're talking about. Bronze or Willy's?" She stood up. A rueful smile crossed her face as she realized she'd been talking to herself again. One of the hazards of living alone, she'd discovered. She wondered briefly if Spike did it too, he seemed to spend a lot of time alone. As she climbed the ladder to go search for her vampire, she resolved to learn as much as she could about the enigmatic creature she was falling in love with.

**At Giles's house, one hour later….**

The Watcher slid his key into the lock with a sigh of relief. It had taken almost the entire hour he'd requested to dissuade the girls from coming home with him to find out what the strange young Englishman wanted. He'd made up some story about a long lost aunt and an inheritance before they would consent to just going home. He'd told Anya that there was no money involved just a dusty old house and rooms full of books. That had killed whatever interest all the girls had in his so-called good fortune.

He put the kettle on for a cup of tea, it had been a massive effort to resist a healthy glass of whiskey but Spike's 'You've had enough.' declaration rang in the human's ears. He'd come way too close to falling deep into alcoholism while Buffy was gone. Just as he'd pulled himself out of the bottom of the bottle, he'd decided to return to England. The children had chosen that particular time to bring her back. He'd considered leaving again but his slayer's revelations concerning her affair with Spike made him very happy he'd decided to stay. It occurred to him that he hadn't talked to Tara, it had not been possible to speak to the blonde witch privately. He would have to make sure it was done first thing in the morning.

The whistle on the kettle blew at the same time the doorbell rang. After removing the water from the heat, he answered the door. Gerald Whitestone smiled in relief when he noted that the elder Brit had managed to escape the attentions of the forward young ladies. He carried a briefcase this time, placing it on the low coffee table before taking a seat on the sofa. He looked up at Giles and smiled nervously.

"Would you like some tea?" Habits of a lifetime kicked in as Giles moved into the kitchen to set up the tray. It didn't take long to add the steaming water to the waiting leaves. He covered the tea for it to steep properly and arranged a plate of cookies to accompany the hot beverage. He added lemon, milk and honey to the tray before he carried it into the living room.

"How are you liking California? Have you been here long?" The polite questions required no thinking allowing Giles a moment to set up and pour the tea.

Gerald accepted his cup with a grateful smile. "The weather is so different from England." He stated. "I've been here about a week. I had to make sure I had the right person. This is rather sensitive information and I wouldn't have liked to give it to someone who wouldn't understand."

"Understand what exactly?" Rupert gazed purposely at the briefcase. "How did you find me?"

Gerald beamed. "The wonders of modern technology! The firm I represent had set up the internet search engines to notify them if there was ever a search into the background of William James Wordsworth. Starting with the Internet Service Provider, we were able to ascertain that the request originated at the Sunnydale Public Library. All that was required from there was a discrete inquiry into who had requested to use the computer there at the time of the search. That led me to you, Mr. Giles. His cousin, Colin Wordsworth, had done extensive research on Lord William. The rather unusual circumstances of Lord William's 'death' were a never ending source of curiosity. Apparently Lord Colin became convinced that Lord William had become…. I can't believe I'm saying this…. A _vampire_." He said the word vampire as if telling a children's folk tale, he really didn't believe it but was willing to humor the simpler mind.

Giles smiled briefly. "Really? I take it you don't believe in vampires." He casually sipped his own cup of tea.

The young detective blushed lightly. "The evidence _seems_ incontrovertible. It appears that there may be some truth to it but at the same time I find it _very_ hard to believe." He confessed.

"May I see the evidence? I trust you brought it with you." Another meaningful glance at the briefcase reminded Gerald of his task.

"Oh! Oh yes, of course." He opened the leather case and pulled a thick folder of documents from it. He handed it to Giles. "These are all copies of the originals. Those remain locked in a safe. It has taken years to compile this information and my employers would hate to see anything happen to it. Especially since Lord Colin has passed on and there is no one left to inherit the estate."

"Indeed." Giles murmured as he opened the file. Much of the information was the same as what he himself had uncovered. He smiled when he came across a photo of Spike. It had been taken many years ago, before the invention of hair bleaching products but the high cheekbones and startling blue eyes were unmistakable even in the faded black and white photo. Deeper in the file was a sketch of young Lord William, it was excellently done and the resemblance between the sketch and the photo was uncanny.

"That photograph was the catalyst for Lord Colin's search for the vampire he believed to be his cousin. He'd been intrigued by genealogy and had already begun to compile a family tree complete with as many photos and drawings of family members as he could find before he ran across this picture. Not long before he acquired this photo, he'd discovered the drawing of Lord William. He refused to believe that the resemblance was coincidental." Gerald selected a cookie as he spoke. "It made him more determined than ever to discover the true events of Lord William's demise. He was beyond shocked to find out that reports of people seeing Lord William after the funeral were abundant."

"And what led Lord Colin to believe that Lord William had been turned into a vampire?" Giles asked with some bemusement.

"There had been rumors, nothing concrete mind you, that vampires existed and had in fact plagued London at the time of young Lord William's death. The fact that the grave had been disturbed and the body missing lent fuel to the rumor that Lord William had become one of the living dead. Lord Colin's research led him to believe that Lord William had abandoned his given name in favor of a nickname." The detective's face reflected his disbelief in his story. "He believed Lord William became known as '_Spike'_."

**Later….**

Faith made a final sweep of the cemetery surrounding Spike's crypt. She'd been searching all night for her vampire and had quickly moved from frustrated to frightened. It was almost dawn and she was exhausted. Wearily, she returned to the crypt and nodded to Clem. The peaceful demon had consented to stay in his friend's home and wait to see if the wayward blond came back.

"Is he here?" Faith asked tiredly.

Clem shook his head. "No, haven't seen him. I'm sure he's okay. He always is, I mean, Spike, he's a survivor. It takes a lot to get him down."

"Like not being able to speak?" Faith asked acidly. "I'm sorry." She apologized immediately. "I'm just tired and I'm scared. Why would he take off like that? Those bitches have a _lot_ of explaining to do. But right now I just wanna sleep. I'm gonna take his bed. That way if he comes back I'll know it. But I seriously doubt he'll return before sunset. I'm gonna handcuff his ass to me so he doesn't do this again. Stupid vampire!"

Clem gave her an awkward hug and patted her back. "He's okay. We'd both know it if he wasn't." He soothed.

She nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Clem's red eyes watched her disappear through the trap door. He debated locking the crypt door but decided not to in case Spike was dumb enough to run through the sunlight to get in. He thought it would be more likely that his friend would use the sewer entrance downstairs but he didn't want to take any chances. Faith was a slayer, she could defend herself. It wasn't likely anyone or anything would bother her during the daytime.

Downstairs, Faith undressed and climbed into the large empty bed. She wrapped her arms around Spike's pillow and curled up in a wide awake ball of misery. It was several more hours of fretful waiting before her exhaustion caught up to her and she fell into a fitful sleep.

**Angel's Crawford Street mansion…**

Spike finished the last of the Jack Daniel's just as the sun began to sparkle through the trees. He hadn't planned on staying the day there but hadn't gotten motivated enough to go home. An accusation of sulking wouldn't have been off the mark as far as he was concerned. Spike could sulk with the best of them. He leaned on the window frame of a third story bedroom. It was his favorite place to hide and think when his unlife became unbearable. The small room tucked up under the eaves of the old mansion had a northern exposure so the sunlight never shone directly into the room. Spike liked that he could sit and watch the day go by in complete safety from the deadly rays. He'd moved a small bed into the room not long after Angel had relocated to Los Angeles. He didn't know why his poof of a sire retained the property but he wasn't going to complain. It gave him a place to go where no one would think of looking.

A twinge of guilt tugged at him. Faith. He'd stood her up and he knew she'd be angry at him. He sighed unnecessarily. There was another chance at romance that he'd managed to screw up. He was just drunk enough for the self-pity to kick in. He leaned out of the window and inhaled the scent from the honeysuckle vine that had stubbornly grown up the side of the building. That vine was one of the reasons he was so fond of this particular room. Unable to resist his favorite flower, he reached out an unsteady hand and plucked several blooms from the vine. Unfortunately he dislodged several bees that had been taking advantage of the early morning dew.

Spike drew back as the angry bees followed his handful of blossoms. He'd been allergic to bees as a human and a tiny part of him still feared the insects.

"Ha, vampire you little buggers, can't harm me." He muttered as he swiped at the bees as they landed on his hand and arm. He wished that he'd left his duster on when the first sting bit into his flesh. "Ow! You little bastards! Leave off!" He shook his arm as three more stings followed the first one. He dropped the flowers as his hand began to swell. Dizziness that had nothing to do with alcohol blurred his vision. He watched his arm dazedly as the swelling increased. His throat closed up in a never forgotten reaction even though he knew he didn't need to breathe. Panic set in as he fell to his knees. He knew the venom couldn't kill him but that didn't lessen his reaction and as darkness closed in on him, he remembered that no one knew where he was.

"_Bloody buggering Hell_." He groaned as he slumped to the floor, unconscious before he landed.


	15. Nightmares Realized

Nightmares Realized

Disclaimer: Don't own any of them, just like to play with em.

Summary: Nightmares abound.

Reviews: Yes, please. Love reviews they give me warm fuzzy shivers. Reader's Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: WayWard Childe is an invaluable asset when my muse is being tetchy so thanks to him for his input in this chapter.

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_Six year old William staggered into the drawing room and whimpered, holding out his swollen hand. His breathing was labored and his vision was failing. He could feel his throat closing up and he hated the sensation. The glasses he despised were slipping down his nose. His mother rushed to her precious boy's side as he faltered and almost fell. _

"_William, darling? What's wrong? Your hand!" She took the painfully swelling appendage in her gentle grasp as she sat on the floor to pull her small boy into her lap. _

"_Mother. A bee stung me. It hurts. Can't breathe." William gasped. His eyelashes fluttered as his head lolled against her arm. Panic seared through the woman. She shook her son violently as his small chest ceased its movements._

"_William!" Anne screamed as she realized her only son was dying in her arms. Servants gathered into the room, whispering among themselves as they realized the little master they all doted on was falling victim to an allergy none of them knew about. _

"_Ye must hold him up and pound his back. Get his wee heart started again." Moira, the Irish cook knelt next to her mistress and gently help raise the tiny child's body upright. Golden curls bounced gently as the limp head bobbed with the motion. Anne frantically rained blows on her son's narrow back, pausing when she thought she felt a movement of the still chest._

"_Wait." She ordered. All activity stopped as everyone waited breathlessly. William's small body shuddered once as he gasped. Anne rubbed his back and prayed for another breath. Her prayer was answered as he inhaled again. Slow breaths rasped as Anne wept with relief and Moira placed a calloused hand on the laboring chest. The tiny heart fluttered then settled into a slow steady beat. _

_The eminently capable cook then raised the swollen hand and searched gently for the stinger she knew would be imbedded in the fragile flesh. She pulled the offensive item from the boy's hand and sent a maid for a basin of water and a box of sodium bicarbonate. She quickly made a paste with the versatile white powder and spread it liberally on the site of the sting. A damp cloth was wrapped around the tiny hand as William settled into a healing sleep_.

**Angel's mansion, present day….**

Spike rolled over in his nightmare infused delirium and groaned as his painfully swollen hand and arm thudded against the floor. Agony thrummed through his body and he sank deeper into unconsciousness. The day passed and night fell once more. Still the vampire slept on, his body fighting the effects of the poison as it moved slowly through his system.

**Spike's crypt…**

Faith sat up as she realized she was still alone and that Spike had not returned. She dressed quickly and raced up the ladder. Using the clock on the VCR to determine the time, she went into a quiet panic as she realized that Spike had been missing almost twenty four hours. Her stomach rumbled hungrily but she didn't know if she could keep anything down. A niggling worry that he was avoiding her so she wouldn't get too attached to him refused to leave her mind. A note on the television screen caught her attention.

'_Faith, I'll be checking out all Spike's usual haunts to see if anyone has seen him. There are some drinks and snacks for you. Hope they're okay. Don't worry we'll find him, he'll be all right. Clem'_

Faith grabbed a cold soda from the refrigerator and selected a bag of chip from the pile on the table. After a handful of the chips, her stomach rebelled and she closed the bag back up. She took her soda with her when she left. It was time to ask Giles for help again.

**Magic Box, sunset…**

Faith slowly opened the door causing the bell to give off a subdued jangle. Giles looked up from the book he'd been pretending to read as his agile mind went over the information Mr. Whitestone had given him. Xander was sitting across from the older man and looked up from his own work as the dark haired slayer descended the step. Buffy had already left for early patrol and Willow, as well as Tara, had stayed home to watch Dawn, a situation Dawn was not really happy about.

"Hey." Faith said quietly.

Giles removed his glasses and looked closely at the girl. Her face was pale and tense. "Faith, are you all right? Did you find Spike last night?" He asked.

Faith shook her head. "No. Have you seen him?" She asked huskily.

"We try to discourage the evil undead from hanging around." Xander said acidly.

Giles gave the boy a glare. "Don't help, Xander." He chided. "I'm sorry. I haven't seen him since he left here last night."

Faith's dark gaze scanned the shop and landed on Anya. "What did they say about Spike last night? What would make him disappear again?" She asked.

Anya gave her an uncharacteristically apologetic look. She left her normal post behind the counter and sat in the chair next to Xander. Quietly she told them everything that had been said the previous night. Faith's eyes grew darker in anger but she valiantly refrained from letting her temper fly. She realized that the ones who'd actually hurt her vampire were absent and she hoped she would not run into them before she found Spike.

She looked at Giles for a second. "Can I use the phone? I wanna call Angel see if Blondie decided to do a runner on me."

"Yes, of course. Come use the one on my desk." The watcher took her to the alcove where she could talk to the dark vampire with some privacy.

She dialed the number she knew by heart.

"Hello?" She closed her eyes in relief when Angel himself answered the phone.

"Angel." She nearly wept as she said his name.

"Faith? What's wrong? Did they give you any trouble? Do you need me to come?" Angel's immediate concern was soothing to the slayer's fear.

She gave a shaky sigh. "No. Don't need you here. At least not right now. Is Spike there?" She asked.

"Spike? No, he's not. Has he done something wrong? Say the word and he's dust." Angel growled.

Faith sank into the chair and fought the urge to cry. "Don't stake him, please. I just… um… he's missing. I need to find him. We've looked everywhere, Clem and I have."

"Faith, is there something you need to tell me?" Angel tried to keep the censure from his voice. He cared about the younger slayer and wanted to be sure she was okay. He'd pushed her into going to Sunnydale to make amends and now was wondering if it had been a mistake.

The gentleness in his voice broke her defenses and she spilled everything that had happened since her arrival at the Hellmouth.

"Oh Faith." It was the only thing he could think of to say.

She sniffled. "Yeah, I know. I couldn't help it. He's just so damned…" She paused when she heard him huff in exasperation.

"I know. He is. But still…" Angel began to snicker. "It's _Spike_."

"It's not funny." She protested before the giggles welled up.

"Well, yeah. It kind of is." He tried to control himself. "So you checked everywhere?" He finally managed to ask.

"I don't know Sunnydale that well but Spike's friend Clem said he was going to go check all his usual haunts but I haven't talked to him yet today." Faith sobered up at the thought of her missing vampire.

"Have you checked my house?" Angel's question surprised her.

"I didn't know you still had it." She answered.

"He thinks I don't know but he goes there sometimes when things get bad and he needs a bolt hole. Don't know why he doesn't just move in." The elder vampire revealed. "That's why I keep it."

"You keep your house just so Spike has a place to hide?" Faith couldn't believe it.

"Yes, but don't tell him. He'll stop going there and he really needs it. Don't tell the others either." Angel thought to add.

"Don't worry. I'm so pissed at some of them they'll be lucky if I ever speak to them again." Faith told him grimly.

"Don't blame you. Let me know if you don't find him and I'll come up." Angel assured her.

"Thanks, Angel." They said their goodbyes and hung up. Giles, Xander and Anya looked up as she came back into the main part of the shop.

"Well?" Giles asked. "Was he helpful?"

Faith smiled. "Yeah, he had a couple of ideas. Thanks. Let me know how much the call was and I'll have him pay you back."

"No need." The Watcher told her. "Just find Spike. Tell him I need to speak to him, if you would."

Faith tilted her head and gazed at Giles. "No sweat. As soon as I see him, I'll let him know." She left the shop on her way to Angel's mansion, praying that Spike was there and unharmed.

**Angel's mansion….**

Spike rolled over with a groan. He slowly became aware that it was night time and he'd slept the day away. He felt odd, dizzy and shaky. He reached over for Faith and realized with a jolt that he was not only alone but he wasn't in his own bed. The hand he'd reached for Faith with thudded on the floor and sent a shaft of agony through his body.

"Bugger!" His voice was weak. He was vaguely aware he hadn't fed in a long time, not an unusual occurrence since the chip but a small niggle at the back of his mind made him think it was a bad thing in this instance. He was dimly aware he was becoming dangerously dehydrated. An unneeded sigh drifted through his chapped lips. The back of his neck tingled. There was a slayer nearby. His sharp hearing picked up Faith's voice calling his name. His vision dimmed again as his movements allowed the bee venom to renew its attack his weakened system.

"Faith." The single word whispered out as he lost his grasp on reality again.

**Summers house…**

Dawn dragged her pillow over her head as the argument in the next room grew in volume. Tara and Willow had been arguing off and on for days, mainly over Willow's overuse of magic. What Dawn couldn't understand was how quickly Tara seemed to get over the altercations. The ups and downs atmosphere in the house reminded the teenager of the horrific time before her parents' divorce. Dawn loved Buffy and was exceedingly happy to have her back but she wished with all her heart that Spike still stayed in the house the way he had sometimes while Buffy had been gone. Tears spilled when the arguing increased in volume again. Buffy was out patrolling and Dawn felt more alone now than she ever had in her young life. Her life was a nightmare and she didn't know how to escape it.


	16. Lost Is Found

Lost Is Found

Disclaimer: It's all been said before, not owning any of them, just possessing a big toothache and a swollen jaw. (again!)

Summary: He who was lost is now found, at least by one person who was looking.

Reviews: Yes, please. Love the warm fuzzy feelings. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: I know it's short but I'll try to make it up to you with the next one. See some new names on the review list. YAY! Thank you SO much!

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**The Magic Box…**

Giles frowned as he thought about Spike's apparent disappearance. He had hoped to talk to the vampire as soon as the sun had set but Faith's announcement had frustrated his plan. He retreated to his alcove under the guise of seeking a quieter area to read a difficult book but was in fact going through the packet of information Mr. Whitestone had left with him. There was a bulky manila envelope that had accompanied the packet but it was addressed to 'The descendent of Lord William Wordsworth'. The detective had asked to be present when Spike received the envelope but Giles had wanted to talk to the young vampire first. The Watcher had been bemused by the thought that Spike's distant relative had done such thorough research but upon remembering Spike's degrees and his carefully concealed intelligence, maybe it wasn't so surprising.

With a shrug, he slid everything back into the folder. He could hear Xander and Anya greet Buffy as she returned from patrol. He locked the drawer just as his charge joined him in the small office space.

"Did you see Spike while you were out?" He asked, almost hoping she had.

Buffy looked at him oddly, the tone of the question taking her by surprise. "No. Why? Faith misplace him?"

Giles sighed and removed his glasses. "It seems he overheard you girls discussing him and no one has seen him since he left here."

Buffy gazed at the floor. "That sucks. Dawn hoped he hadn't. That's one of the reasons that Willow and Tara decided to stay in with her tonight. Do you think someone dusted him?"

He shook his head. "No. Faith doesn't seem to think that's the case. I fear that she believes that he's grown tired of her or has decided they're moving too fast and has left her."

The blonde slayer was shaking her head before the speculative statement was finished. "If there's one thing I've learned about Spike, it's that he's loyal. If he's given his affection to Faith and she's returned it, nothing short of staking will make him leave her."

Rupert smiled, a quick spurt of pride catching his breath. His girl was finally growing up. "Buffy, I think that's the most mature thing I've heard you say. I agree. Certain statements he's made to me lead me to believe you're correct. Faith is out looking for him now, I hope she finds him."

**Angel's mansion….**

Faith searched the mansion with single-minded determination. Her slayer sense was screaming at her and the tingle she was feeling was the one she was beginning to recognize as the one she got whenever she was close to Spike. He was there somewhere, she knew it. Stopping for a moment, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the tingle. She'd only covered half the second floor and had stopped near the stairs. She opened her eyes and gazed up the carpeted steps. Following her instincts, she slowly climbed. Still concentrating, she silently walked along the wall, trailing her fingers on the old wallpaper. A glance told her all the doors were closed but Angel had left small lamps on timers scattered throughout the building to give the place an aura of occupancy. She'd checked the phone on the first floor and had been surprised to find that it worked. She wondered if Spike knew that. It would be just like the blond vampire to assume they didn't and never bother to check.

Her fingers brushed a door and her tingle increased immediately. She grasped the knob but hesitated to open it, fearing what she would find.

"Get hold of yourself, Faith. He's just a vamp. So what if he decided to hide out here instead of coming back to his own home to be with you. You've been rejected before. Just open the door and confront him, get it over with so you can go back to LA and agree with Angel about what a bastard his kid is." Faith ended her pep talk with a determined twist of the antique crystal knob.

The room was dark so she slid her hand along the door frame searching for a light switch. A small lamp lit when the switch flicked on. A small tousled bed was along one wall. A nearby chair held Spike's beloved duster. An empty whiskey bottle sat on the table next to the lamp and another was on the floor near the open window. Faith gasped at the sight of Spike on the floor, unconscious. Several badly wilted honeysuckle blossoms were next to his body. Her horrified eyes roamed over the vampire's unmoving form. Slowly, she moved over to crouch next to him.

"God, Spike, what did you do?" She whispered. Scanning for damage, she was alarmed to see the swelling of his right hand and arm. Ever so gently, she picked up the affected hand. She could see the bee stingers in the skin. She dug in her pocket and pulled out the plastic card that had replaced traditional motel keys. Blessing the invention of the previously cursed card, she scraped the stingers out of her vampire's skin. Soon the four poisonous barbs were on the floor and she was wondering what to do next. Shifting around so she could sit on the floor with his head in her lap, she ran her trembling fingers down his lean face, pulling in a sharp breath as she noticed how dehydrated he was. His lips were chapped and dark circles were beginning to appear beneath the blue eyes she loved. His cheekbones were more pronounced than ever and she knew he needed to feed soon or the damage would be irreversible.

Spike fought his way to consciousness. He could feel Faith running her fingers down his face. He turned his head, seeking the warmth of her skin.

"_Spike_." He heard her whisper his name urgently. He forced his eyes open and tried to focus on her face.

Faith sighed in relief when she saw his dark lashes flutter and lift so his dazed sapphire eyes were looking up at her.

"Faith." Her name wasn't much more than a sigh but she heard it.

"When was the last time you fed?" Faith's question brought a frown to her vampire's paler than normal features.

"Don't remember." His voice was still nothing more than a mere wisp of sound.

"Stupid vampire." The tender tone belied her words. She reached into her pocket to drag out her knife. She flipped the blade out and made a quick shallow cut on her wrist. She pressed the bleeding wound to his parched lips and waited for him to feed. A small moan escaped before he weakly turned his head away.

"No." His feeble protest brought a frown to her lovely face.

"_Yes_." She grasped his chin and brought him back around and jammed the cut back up to his mouth. She pressed down and wiggled her arm onto his lips, forcing them open. The potent fluid hit his tongue and his face morphed into his demon visage.

He felt strength returning after a couple of swallows and pulled his face away again, reverting back to his human appearance.

"Enough." His voice was only a little bit stronger.

"You need more." Faith tried to push the wrist back up to his face. With a major expenditure of his meager strength, he raised his hand and pushed her arm away.

"No. Won't risk it. Won't risk _you_." Spike was weakly adamant. He tried to sit up to make his point but gave up when the action caused his vision to gray.

"Shhhh. Easy, Baby, not so fast. We need to get you some blood." Faith ran her fingers through his tousled curls while he panted needlessly from the effort. She eased out from under his head and knelt down to pick him up. Trying not to show her alarm over how light he was, she easily swung him around and gently placed him on the bed. She covered him up with the blanket draped over the footboard.

Spike gazed up at her with a weary spark of humor shining in his sleepy blue eyes. "Swept me off my feet there, Luv."

Faith sat next to him and smiled. "Seeing as you were already on the floor, it wasn't that hard. Now, I need to go get you some blood. Don't do anything stupid like dust on me, get it?"

The dozy vampire caught her hand and brought it up to place a kiss on her fingertips. "Don't plan on leaving you now, Pet. Too much I wanna do with you." He murmured.

Faith smiled and turned the tables on him by bringing his hand up to her mouth, nibbling his fingers. "Not done with you either, Blondie." She stood up. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Reluctantly letting her fingers slide from his, he nodded. "Go find Clem. Have him go see Willy." A shiver wracked his too-thin frame. A whisper of sound stopped her halfway out of the door. "Faith."

She looked back at him. "Yeah?"

"Hurry." That breath of a word chased her as she nearly flew down the stairs to the first floor.


	17. Darkness And Light

Darkness And Light

Disclaimer: Don't own any of em, gonna SEE some of em in just a couple of days! WOOHOO!

Summary: Giles asks a favor and Faith rescues Spike.

Reviews: Yes, please. Love reviews and adore reviewers. Readers Rock but Reviewers Rule!

A/N: This might be the last chapter for a while as I'll be in Sacramento until the eleventh and I don't know if I'll have time to write even though I'll have my trusty little laptop with me, keeping it safe from destructive trolls.

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**Summers house…**

Willow watched as Tara rolled over and curled into a tight bundle of anger. She sighed and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth, with any luck Tara would be asleep when she got back. The redheaded witch took her time as she mentally reviewed the latest argument with her love. It had been bitter, loud and Willow wasn't sure she remembered exactly what had started it. She shrugged. 'Oh well, nothing a little spell won't fix.' She thought.

In her room, Dawn heaved a sigh of relief when the quarrel ended. She heard the water start in the bathroom and rolled over and closed her eyes.

Willow clicked off the light in the adjoining bathroom and gazed for a moment at her lover lying silent and stiff on her side of the bed. She sat on the stool in front of the vanity and picked up a small flower. She muttered an incantation and watched in satisfaction as the flower glowed briefly. She tucked the enchanted bloom under a book, picked up her hair brush and began running it through her long locks.

"Wills? Aren't you ready for bed yet?" The sultry question brought a smug little smirk to the redhead's face. She gave her hair a last stroke with the brush and turned around with a loving smile place.

"I'm ready _and_ willing." She purred as she crawled up the bed into the oblivious arms of her lover.

**Angel's mansion…**

Faith tore down the two flights of stairs in record time. She headed straight for the phone. She dialed Angel's number with trembling fingers and hopped in place waiting for it to ring the other end.

"Hello?" Angel answered after only one ring.

"Angel. I found him. He's in your house. He's in bad shape. I need blood and I need it _now_. He won't feed from me. He's gonna dust if I don't do something _quick_." Faith's panic transmitted over the line in breathless statements.

She heard the dark vampire take an unneeded breath. "Ok. In the basement there's freezer. It's locked but the key is in a small envelope taped to the back. It's full. I keep it for emergencies. But first check the bottom. There should be a block of ice on the bottom shelf, if it's not a block but has been melted then the electricity may have been off and the blood might be tainted. If it is, don't use it. I'll call Willy and have him deliver some fresh. What happened to him?"

Faith thought for a second. "I'm not sure. Are vampires affected by allergies?"

"Only if they haven't been feeding well enough for normal healing. Why?" Angel was pretty sure what she was going to say next.

"I found bee stingers in his arm and it's badly swollen." Faith told him disbelievingly.

"Will was allergic to bees as a human. Has he been feeding?" Angel sighed.

"I asked him when he last ate and he couldn't remember." Faith heaved her own sigh.

In LA, Angel rubbed his forehead as exasperation flooded his large frame. "Stupid vampire." He muttered.

Faith snickered despite her worry. "Yeah, pretty much my reaction."

"Okay, here's the thing, vampires _can_ suffer from the same allergies they had as humans if they let themselves become undernourished. Will was deathly allergic to bees. He almost died as a child. I only know this because he got stung once as a fledge and he panicked. It irritated him but his vampire healing took care of it too fast for him to even swell up. He should have been more careful. It won't kill him. The not feeding will do him more damage. There's a microwave in the kitchen. Listen carefully and I'll tell you what you need to do." Angel explained.

As soon as he was finished instructing her on how to defrost and heat the blood, he told her how much Spike needed. She nodded before remembering he couldn't see her. "Got it. Thanks, I owe you." She said gratefully.

"No, you don't and you're welcome." Angel told her gently. "Now go take care of the bleached pain in the ass." He hung up and immediately placed a call back to Sunnydale. It didn't take long to intimidate Willy into arranging a large delivery of fresh blood to the Crawford Street address. That done, he checked his rolodex and made another call, letting Clem know that Spike had been found and was safe.

Faith hung up the receiver and ran down the hall to the back of the house where Angel had told her the kitchen was located. She found the door leading to the basement and nearly wrenched it off its hinges. Locating the key, she pulled the freezer door open. A shuddering sigh of relief escaped as she saw the solid block of ice sitting intact on the bottom shelf. She grabbed an armful of bags, paying little heed to the red crosses on the labels. She raced back up to the kitchen and began microwaving the necessary amount to bring Spike back from the brink. She found a tray and several towels to wrap around the warmed bags and a large mug to pour the blood into. It took longer than she'd hoped but soon she was headed back up the stairs to the small room on the third floor.

She carefully placed the tray on the end of the bed before moving Spike's duster off the chair so she could sit next to her vampire.

Spike felt his slayer return to the room and struggled to open his eyes. He needed to see her again. He felt something heavy depress the foot of the mattress. The rich coppery smell of warm blood tickled his nose. With considerable effort he forced his eyelids open. He inhaled and licked his lips.

"Faith?" A bare whisper of breath carried her name to her ears.

"Yeah, Spike. It's me. I've got blood for you. Did you know Angel keeps some down in the kitchen?" She babbled a little as she plotted the best way to feed the weakened vampire.

A slight smile crossed his handsome face. Faith's heart gave an unexpected little leap to see that tiny smirk. Finally, she decided the best option was to put the tray on the chair and sit behind him to hold him up while she fed him. She put the mug and a second bag on the nightstand and eased Spike into a sitting position. She slid up onto the bed behind him and laid him back against her with his head on her shoulder. One arm slid around his chest and her free hand held the mug. The next helping was within easy reach so she could continue feeding him without too much movement.

"Hey, Pet." His low voice shivered along her skin.

"Hey, Babe. Here, drink this. You're looking mighty bad right now and I want you to drink every single bag I heated." She kissed his temple and held the mug up to his mouth, tilting it so he could sip the warm fluid.

He frowned and pulled his head back further into her shoulder, flinching away from the cup. "That's human. Where did you say you got it?"

Faith tightened her arm around his chest and told him a small lie. "Angel keeps a supply in the freezer part of his refrigerator. Haven't you ever looked?"

He shook his head, brushing her cheek with his soft hair. "Figured the poof would be too soulful to keep the good stuff. I thought it was animal."

"If you can't get over the fact that it _is_ the good stuff enough to drink it, I might think maybe _you're_ the one with the soul." Faith teased as she brought the cup back up to his mouth.

Spike shot her a reproachful look from under his dark lashes as he obediently went back to drinking the warm blood. He felt his strength returning as the borrowed blood began to revive his body. He closed his eyes and leaned back against her when the cup was empty. He felt her movements as she refilled the mug.

Faith glanced down at the bright head resting on her shoulder. A wave of tenderness unlike anything she'd ever felt before swept through her. She rubbed her face against the tousled curls and smiled.

"Hey, drink up." She held the newly filled cup up to his face.

With a visible effort, Spike lifted his head again and resumed sipping the life-giving liquid. It took longer to finish the second cup. Finally it was empty again and he snuggled his head back against her shoulder with a sigh. "My hero." He murmured.

He felt her shift, preparing to get off the bed. He groaned in protest. "Don't leave me."

"I'm not leaving. I have to get some more blood. You've got at least five more bags to drink." Faith settled back to cuddle him reassuringly.

He shook his head. "I'm full." He sounded for all the world like a fussy toddler. "Sleepy."

"You haven't had nearly enough." Faith told him.

"Not used to eating much at a time. Eat too much now, might get sick. Don't want that, hurts." He turned his face into her neck and nuzzled sleepily.

She pulled back and gazed down at his face. The hollows beneath his bright blue eyes weren't as deep and dark as they had been. The parched appearance of his lips had eased but he still looked a little on the starved side.

"Tell you what. Have one more and then I'll let you sleep. We'll both sleep." She bargained. She grinned when his lower lip came out in a pout.

"Okay." He let her lean over to snag another bag from the towel-covered pile on the tray. The third bag consumed, they snuggled down under the blanket with Spike held protectively in his slayer's arms. He'd wrapped his arm around her slender waist while she curved her arm around his back with her hand lying lightly on his shoulder blade. His head rested on her shoulder, her cheek lying against the top of his head. With her dark hair mixed with his short platinum curls they were a study in contrast, darkness and light.

The rest of the night passed quietly as they woke every couple of hours for Spike to drink one or two more bags of the restoring blood. Neither of them heard Willy let himself in the back door, fill up the refrigerator and leave just as quietly as he'd arrived. The bartender didn't know why Angel wanted all that blood delivered and he wasn't about to investigate to find out. The very last people he wanted mad at him were Angelus and Spike so he did what he was told and went home.

**The next morning, Magic Box…**

Giles listened to Anya chatter at a (for once) paying customer, hoping the ex-demon wouldn't offend the poor woman and keep her from returning. He checked the class schedule he'd insisted the girls give him and sighed with relief when he saw that Willow had the early class today and Tara would still be home. He picked up the phone and dialed the number to Buffy's house.

"Hello?" A female voice answered the electronic summons.

"Buffy. How are you this morning?" Rupert mentally cursed himself for not checking his slayer's class schedule.

"Fine, Giles. Are you okay? Did you need something?" Buffy was puzzled about why her Watcher was calling so early on a weekday.

"No, no, I'm fine. I was just wondering if I could speak to Tara for a moment." Giles decided to just go for it; he didn't know when he'd have another chance and this _really_ needed to get done.

"Sure. Hold on." The blonde slayer put the phone down without further question and called Tara.

"This is Tara." The shy witch picked up the call.

"Ah, Tara. I need a favor. You mustn't tell anyone but it's very important that you do this." Giles began.

"Um, sure. Whatever you need, you know that." Tara was puzzled.

Giles sighed and glanced toward the main portion of the shop to make sure Anya couldn't overhear. "Please don't ask any questions on the phone, I'll tell you everything later but I really need you to investigate the spell that was used to bring Buffy back."

"S-sure. I can do that but why…" Tara was startled when he interrupted her.

"Please, no questions now. Wait until we can speak privately. Can you do it?" He asked. "And I need this kept between the two of us, all right?"

"Yes, all right." Tara told him.

They finished the conversation quickly and hung up. Giles removed his glasses to clean them. He wished he knew whether or not Faith had found Spike. He hoped she had and wondered where the blond menace had been hiding. He was impatient to see the vampire's reaction to the packet the detective had brought from England. And he wanted to see Mr. Whitestone's reaction to meeting an honest-to-God vampire. A chuckle broke out at the thought. It was going to be a very interesting meeting; he just hoped it would be soon.

**Summers house…**

Tara hung up the phone thoughtfully. She turned as Dawn came into the kitchen with her backpack, ready for school. Xander would be arriving in just a couple of minutes to take her.

Dawn slung her bag onto a chair and gave Tara a hug, surprising the blonde witch. "Morning. How are you? That argument last night sounded vicious." The teenager commented as she moved over to the refrigerator looking for something to eat, pulled the milk out then shifted her attention to the cupboard.

Tara tilted her head in confusion. "Dawnie? What argument?"

Dawn paused in her search for cereal in the cupboard. Her wide blue eyes flew up to meet Tara's confused gaze. "Um, the one between you and Willow?"

Xander knocked once on the back door and stuck his head in. "Dawn-miester, you ready?"

The brunette nodded and picked up her bag. "Maybe I was having a bad dream. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Tara waved her hand distractedly. "No, Sweetie, I'm not upset. Have a good day." After they left, Tara sank down into a chair, leaned on her elbows and rubbed her temples as a headache began to build. Was Willow playing her?


	18. Tigger

Tigger

Disclaimer: Not mine, just messin around with em, I swear.

Summary: Spike and Faith have a talk.

Reviews: Yes, please. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Well, tomorrow marks my one year anniversary of being posted on this site as a writer. I think (hope) I've improved and that people will continue to enjoy my insanity until the well runs dry. I think I've finally blasted that darned writer's block. Still loving and appreciating all the wonderful people who've reviewed. THANK YOU!

WayWard Childe, thank you so much for your input in this chapter. You have great instincts and I hope you continue to follow David Fury's advice (all you other writers listen up!) write every day.

And everyone: Toddle on over to BVTS Crossovers and read 'Blood Knights In Gotham' by WayWard Childe. It's incredible!

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Faith woke up to the realization that she was alone in the bed. She groaned slightly and flung her arm over her eyes. She stilled, trying to hear whether or not her vampire was still in the house. Shoving the blanket aside, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. She used both hands to smooth her hair back from her face and inhaled deeply, trying to fully wake up and sense her vampire. 'If he's taken off on me again…' She thought. 'He's dust.'

A noise in the hallway caught her attention and as she looked toward the door it swung open. Spike eased through the opening with a loaded tray in his hands. He looked startled to see her sitting up and bit his lip as he glanced down at the covered dishes.

"You're awake." The blond vampire observed unnecessarily.

"So are you. How are you?" Faith hid a tiny smile as she watched him stand there trying to figure out where to set his burden.

"Good as new. Thanks to you." He finally decided to place the heavy tray on the chair where Faith had put it the night before. He grimaced as he realized what he'd said. A wave of unaccustomed shyness swept over him. He eased down onto the bed next to the dark-haired slayer.

"I… um… made you breakfast. Well, not exactly. Peaches doesn't keep much in the way of human food so I had to call Clem. He's mad at me but I told him what happened. When he got done laughing, he agreed to bring you some breakfast. Did you know that the Poof keeps the phone working? And he's got a fridge full of blood packets? They weren't there before so he must have had someone deliver. Don't know why unless he's planning a visit, in which case we'd better clear out before he gets here. He'll dust me if he finds out I've been making myself at home in his house. Clem brought you a lot of stuff cause we didn't know what you liked." Spike babbled as he started to lift lids off the plates on the tray revealing eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, pancakes, fresh fruit and yogurt. He couldn't believe how nervous he was with Faith now. She'd saved his unlife and the gratitude he felt toward her overwhelmed him. She'd held him all night and fed him. She'd cuddled him as if he was precious to her and his unbeating heart swelled with emotion for the beautiful slayer.

"Wow. It looks great but you're gonna have to help me. I don't eat that much. Why didn't you bring up some of that blood for yourself?" She picked up a strawberry and nibbled on it.

Spike found his attention riveted on her white teeth as they bit into the luscious red fruit. "I… ah… was still…" He gulped. "full from… um… last…night." He answered slowly. He watched avidly as the last of the strawberry disappeared into her mouth. He blinked. "Besides, it belongs to Peaches and he'd kill me if I took it."

Faith shook her head. "No, it's for you. Willy probably delivered it while we were sleeping." An evil glint appeared in her dark eyes as she noticed his distraction. She picked up a sausage link and held it lightly between her fingers for a long moment. With intense concentration she let her sharp teeth sink into the spicy link. A noise that sounded suspiciously like a whimper escaped from the vampire sitting next to her. She licked the residue from the sausage from her fingers as she peered at Spike from under her thick dark lashes. Her breath caught at the passion-glazed expression in the dark blue eyes of the vampire she loved.

She picked up a slice of bacon and held it up to Spike's mouth. "Are you hungry?" She whispered.

A slight growl sounded deep in Spike's chest as he caught on that she'd been teasing him. He opened his mouth and engulfed the strip of bacon, chewing the crispy meat thoroughly before swallowing it. He grasped her hand before she had a chance to pull it away and licked her fingers free of grease. "Yummy." He murmured. He moved his mouth from her fingers to her palm, his intense blue gaze holding her dark eyes steadily as he tasted her flesh. Faith had a fleeting thought that microwaves were a wonderful invention before the feel of his cool mouth on hers caused all thinking processes to shut down.

**Later, in the Magic Box…**

Giles looked at the clock again. It read noon. The morning had dragged by and he wondered for what seemed like the sixteenth time if Faith had found Spike. Finally, the phone rang and he fairly leaped on it before Anya had a chance to pick it up.

"Hello?" Belatedly, "Magic Box."

"Giles?" Faith's amused voice came over the line.

"Faith! Oh thank God. Did you find Spike?" The Watcher asked anxiously.

"Oh! Sorry, yes I did." Giles could hear her as she pulled the phone away from her mouth. "_Spike_! What are you _doing_?" Distantly a crash was heard followed by a round of swearing Rupert recognized as Spike at his best. She came back and laughed. "He's crazy."

"I take it that he was in no danger?" Giles mistakenly assumed.

There was a new serious note in the dark-haired slayer's voice. "He almost died."

Stunned silence greeted her announcement as he processed it. "He almost did _what_? But how?"

"It's a long story; we'll tell you when we get there." Again there was a disturbance on the line. "Spike! Put that down! Angel is gonna be sooo _pissed_ at you." There was pause then, "Giles, as soon as the sun goes down and it's safe to take Tigger outside, we'll meet you at the shop."

A smile crossed Rupert's face. "Tigger?"

"Yeah, you know that cartoon character that always bounces around?" Faith reminded him.

"I'm rather familiar with him, yes." A chuckle tried to break free of Giles' natural reserve. "Come to think about it, that could be considered an appropriate nickname for this particular vampire."

Faith giggled at the absurd formality in the Watcher's tone. "Well, being stuck inside with him is like being trapped with a two year old. He's into _everything_. Holy _crap_, gotta go…. _Spike_!" The phone clattered and then went dead. Bemused, Giles hung up his receiver and resigned himself to wait to find out what had happened.

**Angel's mansion…**

Faith dropped the phone into place in time to catch Spike on his fourth pass sliding on the hardwood floor in his stocking feet. "I'm sooo gonna _kill_ Clem for bringing you that chocolate. What was he _thinking_?"

The hyperactive blond menace smirked as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist. "Well, Pet. I guess maybe you should figure out a way to work off all this energy, eh?" He slid his hands down her arms and began to walk backwards, pulling on her hand. She followed, pretending to resist. A teasing twinkle lit his sapphire eyes as she half-heartedly tried to tug her hand free.

"Gee, whatever shall we do?" She smiled as he gave a sudden jerk on her arm, catching her as she fell into his embrace. He hauled her up and slung her over his shoulder.

"Well, I think we should go check out the Poof's bed. He always was one for big, soft, comfy mattresses." Spike grinned when she wiggled enticingly. He carried his sexy burden through the halls of his Sire's house as he strode confidently into Angel's bedroom. He let Faith fall onto the bed and watched, grinning as she scooted up until she was sitting against the pillows lined up along the headboard.

Faith smiled as Spike climbed up on the massive bed. He hadn't bothered to finish dressing, preferring to roam the house in just his black jeans and later, for sliding purposes, a pair of socks. She appreciated the supple play of sleek muscles in his arms, shoulders and chest as he crawled up to sprawl next to her. He propped his head up on one hand and watched her through thick dark lashes.

She glanced around the room. "Angel sure likes his comforts." She observed.

"Yeah, he's a poof." Spike ran his finger down her arm, head tilted down to admire the contrast between her tanned skin and his own pale hand.

"Let's get one thing straight, Blondie. I like Angel. We're friends. That low place I was telling you about? Well, he's the one who pulled me out. I tried to get him to kill me." A low growl interrupted her words. She slipped her fingers under his chin and tipped his face up to gaze into his gold-tinged blue eyes.

"He refused. Just like I did with you. I wanted to help you. I don't know why but it just felt right." She kept her eyes locked onto his. "So just keep the snarky comments about Angel to a minimum and we won't have any problems. Okay?"

Spike was silent for long minutes. He blinked slowly. "Does he know we're here?" He asked very quietly.

Faith took her time answering. Finally, she decided to be honest. "I was afraid I was going to lose you. I needed to know how to fix you. So, yeah, I called him and asked for help. He told me about the blood in the kitchen and how much to give you."

Spike was shaking his head before she finished. "He did not. He told you to stake me. He hates me and I hate him." His low voice was venomous.

She ran her hand gently along his face, tracing the line of his cheekbone. "Yes, he did."

He thought about that for several minutes. "How did you find me?" He finally asked.

She leaned over and kissed him softly. "Angel told me to look here."

"_Bloody Buggering Hell_." He spat and he sat up suddenly. He started to get off the bed but Faith used her slayer strength to stop him. She clamped her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to pull him back over to her. It was more difficult than she'd expected as he was back up to his full strength due to the steady influx of human blood. Animal blood was fine for keeping a vampire unliving but human blood was required to maintain full vampiric strength. She moved up behind him and slid her arms around him, pressing against his bare back.

"Spike! Wait. I'm sorry, I was freaking out. I didn't know where you were. I thought you'd left me so I called Angel to see if you'd gone to LA. He knew you hid out here sometimes with things got too bad. That's why the utilities are still on and the freezer is full of blood. He didn't want you to know that he knew. He knew you would stop coming here." A short bark of laughter interrupted her.

"Got that right." Spike snarled. Something she said sank in. He froze in his position balanced on the edge of the bed. "You were freaking out?" He remembered something Giles had said. '_I thought she was torturing you until I saw her crying_.' He bent his bright head, resting his chin on her forearms. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Why?" The question was whispered so softly she almost missed it.

Faith pressed her forehead onto his bare shoulder. "Why what?"

"Why do you care?" He asked as he turned his head and rubbed his cheek on her silky sable hair.

**Later, the Magic Box…**

Giles picked up the card left by Mr. Whitestone and noted with a slight smile that it had a cell phone number listed. He dialed it.

"Whitestone speaking." The detective answered briskly.

"Mr. Whitestone, this is Rupert Giles. I'd like for you to come to the Magic Box shortly after sunset if that's possible." The Watcher said quietly.

"Mr. Giles! How kind of you to call. I was just wondering if I should contact you again. As much as I'm enjoying your California sunshine, I need to get home." The visitor said cheerfully. "Of course I'll drop around. Just after sunset, you say?"

"Yes, there's someone you need to meet." Giles left it at that. "I'll see you then." He hung up before the other man could further question the summons. He unlocked the drawer again and pulled the thick bundle of information out. He shuffled through the papers until he found what he was looking for. He smiled. Spike was gonna be one very happy vampire.

**Angel's mansion…**

Faith lay nestled against Spike's shoulder as he dozed. His question echoed through her mind. '_Why do you care_?' She'd been startled when he'd asked that question. The tone of his voice had nearly broken her heart.

**Earlier...**

"_Why do you care?" Faith caught her breath as the quiet question tugged at her heart. He sounded so insecure, as if he couldn't believe someone could or would care enough about him to save his unlife. She felt his cheek rubbing across the top of her head as she rested on his shoulder. _

"_I care because…" She began. She felt him stiffen as she paused in her answer. She dropped a kiss on his shoulder blade. "Because you're you. You are different. You're not like anyone else I've ever known and I want you in my life. You're in my heart and I'm not sure how you got there but I don't want you to not be there." She sighed in frustration. "I… um…I… um…" She paused, biting her lip. She hadn't realized it would be so hard but she couldn't remember ever saying it before. "Spike… I…"_

_The vampire kept his eyes closed. He could feel them prickling and held his unneeded breath. He knew it wouldn't last. He shouldn't have asked her why. "I…um… love you." She stammered almost too quietly for even vampire hearing to catch. _

_Spike shifted until he was facing her. His mouth caught hers in a passionate kiss. He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands. His dazed blue eyes locked onto her dark brown ones. "Oh, God, Luv." He found himself lost for words as she kissed him. He allowed her to pull him back onto the bed and he gazed at her in wonder. _

_She heard it just before he fell asleep a long time later. "I love you, too."_

**Sunset, the Magic Box…**

Giles looked up and smiled when the bell over the door jangled. Faith and Spike walked in hand-in-hand. The Watcher noticed the quiet serenity that had settled over the couple. The utter happiness reflected in their eyes was something few are privileged to see. It surprised him to realize he was happy for the younger slayer and her vampire. After the debacle with Buffy and Angel, he'd doubted he'd ever approve of such a match but there was something about Spike and Faith that just fit.

"Hey, Watcher. Faith says you want to talk to me?" Spike stood casually next to the counter with his arm around his love. The blond glanced around and was happy to note that none of the Scooby gang was in attendance. He decided not to ask.

"Yes, about that matter we were discussing the other day…" Before Giles could finish, the bell jangled again. The three of them turned to see who it was.

Spike observed the stranger with suspicion. A nervous smile crossed the lean face of the newcomer.

"Mr. Giles. I'm here." The tall lanky young man stated unnecessarily.

Giles smiled. "So I see. Mr. Whitestone, I believe…" Again the older Brit was interrupted.

"Oh my _God_." Gerald Whitestone had advanced into the store and had gotten his first good look at Spike.

Unseen by the foursome in the main part of the store, Buffy came in from the training room. Surprised to see the stranger from the other day, she hung back just out of sight. Now she would find out at least one of the things her watcher had been hiding from her recently.

Spike eyed the stranger with dismay. The detective was staring at the vampire with his mouth agape. The blond had noticed the British accent and a nervous tingle was beginning to crawl up his spine.

"Rupert. What is this wanker staring at me for?" Spike's accent was evident in his irritation.

Mr. Whitestone opened his mouth and closed it. The action was repeated twice more before he found his voice.

"_Lord William_?"


	19. Resurrecting William

Resurrecting William

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone except maybe Gerald but don't know if I want him.

Summary: Hmmmm, there's not really anything to tell.

Reviews: Yes, please. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Reaction to this fic is still amazing. Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Thanks to WayWard Childe for his help and input. And everyone, don't forget to go read his stuff, he's inspired.

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Spike tensed when he realized what the strange human said. He reacted without thinking and shifted into game-face.

"Oh…. My." With that, Gerald Whitestone's eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he fainted.

"Spike!" Faith shook his arm slightly and he glanced down at her, golden eyes puzzled. "Change back." She hissed. He shook his head and let his demon fade away. Cold blue eyes fixed on Giles.

"Who is that?" The question was asked in a dangerously low voice.

Rupert looked up at the simmering vampire from where he'd knelt next to the unconscious detective.

"He is Gerald Whitestone, a private detective from England. He represents the law firm that controls the Wordsworth estate. They'd been looking for the long lost heir and my internet search led them to me. He can help us with the matter we were discussing the other day." The Watcher explained.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Spike strode over and knelt on the other side of Gerald. He gazed down at the pale features. "Needs to develop some stones if he's gonna hang out on the Hellmouth, eh?"

Gerald moaned as his eyelids fluttered. Giles glanced at Faith. "Go get a glass of water, please."

She nodded and headed for the bathroom. She stopped when she saw the blonde slayer standing next to the training room door, her mouth open in shock. "Yo! Tigger, G! We have company." She called.

Spike rose lithely and walked toward his love's voice. "Buffy." He said wearily. "Don't you have anything better to do than listen in on private meetings?"

"I didn't know it was a private meeting. I wanted to talk to Giles about something. Did he call you 'Lord William'?" Buffy tried to wrap her mind around the implications.

"You're hearing things, Slayer." Spike growled.

Gerald chose that moment to regain his senses. "Oh my. I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. But I thought I saw… I mean… his face… did it change?" He finally stammered as he struggled to sit up.

Giles moved back to give him room. "Yes, well. There are a few things I may have neglected to tell you." He admitted with a small smile. He assisted the younger man to his feet. Faith handed over the water glass and Gerald took it with a grateful smile. Giles guided the younger man to the research table as Buffy ventured further into the room. Faith gave her sister slayer a warning glare before looking around to discover where her vampire had disappeared to.

Spike had retreated to the alcove; this stranger held the future of his unlife with Faith in his hands and the blond was succumbing to some serious nerves. An old habit asserted itself as Spike brought the fingers of his right hand up to his mouth and he began to worry the nails with his teeth. He looked up guiltily when Faith peeked around the corner catching him with his fingers in his mouth like an upset toddler.

She walked in and stood glaring up at him with her arms folded over her chest. "Okay, Tigger. You've got some major explaining to do."

"I don't know if I _can_ explain it, Robin." Spike hid his hand in his pocket. Faith smiled at the nickname as she remembered the conversation leading to the pet names.

**Earlier, Angel's mansion…**

_Faith woke from her nap to the sensation that she was being watched. Spike was leaning on his arm and gazing down at her with tender blue eyes._

"_So, who were you talking to before? The Watcher?" He asked as his free hand came up to play with her hair._

"_Yeah, it was Giles. He was worried." A disbelieving snort greeted the admission. "He was. And oh, yeah, he needs to talk to you. I told him we'd meet him at the Magic Box right after sunset."_

"_Right then, so what was so funny?" Spike gave her a quick kiss._

"_Oh, I just had to explain your new nickname." She smiled up at him._

_Spike felt his chest constrict at the love he saw glowing in her face. "Nickname? What? 'Spike' isn't good enough?" He pouted._

_Faith grinned at the little boy pout on his face. "It's fine but I think 'Tigger' fits better. You are rather hyper."_

_He smirked. "If I'm 'Tigger' does that make you 'Christopher Robin'?"_

_She thought about that for a few seconds. "Well, I don't exactly fit 'Christopher' and I refuse to answer to 'Chris'. How do you feel about 'Robin'?"_

_He smiled sweetly. "I can get used to that…. Robin." _

Faith shook herself out of the memory and pulled his abused fingers out of the worn denim. "Then we'll get the answers together." She brought his hand up to her mouth and kissed the tips. She wound her warm fingers around his cool ones and let him back to the main portion of the shop.

Gerald looked up when the couple entered. "Oh, my." He said shakily. He knew that face. He'd read the file on Lord William many times over the last few months and had seen the photo and the sketch every time. That face was unmistakable. The… his thoughts stumbled over the word… vampire bore an uncanny resemblance to Lord Colin, minus the bleached hair, of course. He gulped audibly as he recalled how the young man's face had changed.

Spike smirked as he caught the detective's fear. "Well, now, Mate. What do you know about Lord William? You do know the pathetic wanker died over a century ago." The vampire pulled a chair out and turned it around, straddling it.

Gerald inhaled, attempting to tell himself he was perfectly safe. Surely the others wouldn't let this creature harm him. The dark haired girl seemed to be Lord William's girlfriend. Suddenly the young Brit felt unsure. He knew nothing of these people. He couldn't be sure that they weren't all vampires. He started to hyperventilate, feeling panic rise up and begin to choke him.

Spike frowned as he heard the elevated heartbeat of the young man. "Hey, Watcher. This guy's panicking. Why don't you get him something stronger than water?" Giles nodded. "And bring that folder with you, yeah?" Spike added as the older man moved toward the alcove.

Giles poured Gerald a generous amount of the same excellent alcohol he and Spike had shared before. Spike noticed the increased volume of the folder and felt a jolt of apprehension.

"Hey, where's my glass, Rupes?" He covered his insecurity with the question. Giles smirked a little and pulled a glass from his pocket.

"Knew you'd want it." The Watcher stated as he poured a generous drink for the blond. Gerald coughed as the alcohol burned its way down his throat.

"I thought vampires drank only blood." He rasped.

Spike threw him a disbelieving glance. "You know about vampires, do you?" His tone was bland, belying the evil glint in his dark blue eyes.

Faith caught on to her vampire's intent. "Spike, behave yourself. Let G explain what's going on."

Giles' smirk got a little bigger as he reached over to open the folder he'd pushed in front of Spike. The vampire choked on his own drink when he saw the sketch sitting on the top.

"Oh, Bloody _Hell_! _Where_ did you get _that_?" He demanded. He remembered when his mother had commissioned the drawing. He'd hated to the foppish little artist who'd simpered and fussed over the damn thing for days.

Faith picked up the copy of the original sketch and held it up to her lover. "Damn, Tigger, whoever drew this did a great job." She laughed at the outrage on his lean face.

Spike snatched the drawing from her grasp and scowled. "Give me that." He shoved it under the pile of papers in the folder and picked up the next form in the stack. He gave it a glance before placing it face down on the left. He continued perusing the papers in the folder the same way for long tense minutes. He paused when he got to the photo. "Not even my good side." He mused before setting it aside as well.

Gerald risked another sip of his drink, suppressing an urge to shudder. "Then you are the same person in both the drawing and in the photo?" He asked. He beamed when Spike nodded absently, not seeming to completely hear the question as his attention was focused on the paper he was reading with a frown.

Buffy frowned in confusion. "Don't you know who and what he is?"

Gerald looked down his nose at the petite blonde. "He is Lord William Wordsworth and he is a vampire. May I ask who you are?"

"Wasn't William Wordsworth a poet?" Faith interjected.

"Different bloke, Luv." Spike told her distractedly. He seemed to completely ignore Gerald's statement about his identity. He paused when he got to what looked to be a statement of assets. He looked up at Gerald. "Is this current?"

"Yes, everything in there is current as of a week ago." Gerald's confidence was growing as the level in his glass lowered.

Spike glanced at Rupert who'd taken a chair next to the vampire. "Did you see this?"

Giles nodded. "Incredible, isn't it."

"Quite." The single word was spoken in an accent neither Faith nor Buffy had ever heard from Spike before. The girls exchanged puzzled looks and shrugged at each other.

Spike set the statement aside and turned over a few more papers, then froze. Giles smirked when he realized what Spike had found. Dazed blue eyes rose to meet the Watcher's amused green ones.

"Have you checked this out? Is this real?" The question was whispered as if Spike were under a spell he didn't want to break.

"Yes, it's quite real and it's all in order. All that is needed is the correct signature and a current photo." Giles said gently. He knew the kind of shock the younger man was feeling. Everything he'd asked for had just been given to him. Concern welled when he noticed how pale Spike had grown. The vampire's normally porcelain features had taken on an ashen hue.

"Spike? Are you all right?" Rupert leaned forward and placed a hand on Spike's arm.

Faith heard the question and took a closer look at her lover. "Hey, Tig. Stay with me. B, is there any blood in the back?" The other girl nodded and went to get it. Gerald looked distinctly green when she returned and handed the mug to Faith. The brunette held the warmed mug up to Spike. He drained it and set it aside. Picking up the glass of alcohol, Spike quickly emptied it as well.

Faith knelt next to Spike's chair. "Hey, Baby. Are you okay?" She asked with concern shining in her large dark eyes.

Spike held his empty glass up and Giles obligingly filled it again. "I'm fine, Luv. Just had a bit of a shock is all."

"What is all this stuff?" Faith wanted to know.

"It's…" The front door bursting open interrupted Spike's answer.


	20. Overcoming Denial

Overcoming Denial

Disclaimer: Still don't own any of these people, except Gerald of course.

Summary: Denial, thy name is Xander.

Reviews: Yes, please. Readers Rock but Reviewer RULE!

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Xander and Anya stomped into the Magic Box, intent on their discussion. "There's something seriously wrong with Willow. I can't believe you're refusing to acknowledge it. That's not normal magic she's using." Anya was saying.

"Ahn, there's nothing wrong with Wills. Why can't the two of you get along? You have no reason to be jealous of her. We've been best friends forever." Xander closed the door behind them and paused when he noticed the meeting being held.

"Hey, what's going on here? Research party we weren't told about?" His dark eyes took in the sight of Faith kneeling next to Spike, Buffy standing off to the side, the stranger sitting opposite of the Bleached Menace and Giles sitting next to Spike with his fingers on some papers spilling out of a vaguely familiar looking folder. The carpenter frowned. "Is there a problem?" He asked.

Giles shook his head. "No, Xander. Not here, but there _is_ a problem with Willow. I've asked Tara to investigate the spell that brought Buffy back. Spike thinks there were more repercussions than we realized."

"Other than that demon that hitched a ride back with the Buffster?" Xander asked incredulously. "No, there's no problem with Wills and…. wait… did you say _Spike_ _thinks_ there are repercussions?" He shot a hate-filled glare at the blond vampire, who was ignoring him in favor of reading more of the documents in the file.

"So he would be the resident expert on identifying something that may or may not be wrong with _my_ best friend?" The male Scooby snarled.

"No, that would be me and I agree with Spike." Giles stated mildly as he accepted a paper handed to him by the vampire in question. He nodded as Spike pointed out a particular paragraph on the page.

The apparent lack of concern over Willow incensed Xander. "What do you mean 'You agree with Spike'? Have you lost your mind? There's nothing wrong with Willow!"

Spike slammed the folder shut and stood up. He sent an apologetic glance toward the blonde slayer and turned to face Xander. "_Yes, there is_. And if you'd get your head out of your ass you'd see it." He snapped, proving he had been paying attention all along. "If you and your mates hadn't followed that misguided witch in her bid for the 'Stupid Stunt of the Year' award, you wouldn't have this problem. I could have told you that bringing the slayer back was a colossally bad idea but no, you couldn't tell me. I've lived longer than all you sodding Scoobies put together and have run into more than one instance of magic gone wrong." Stunned silence followed his diatribe. Spike held Xander's gaze for long moments.

"Red was tested, wasn't she?" Spike asked suddenly.

"Tested?" Xander's eyes dropped. "I don't know what you mean."

Anya gave her fiancé a disbelieving glare. "Yes, she was." The blonde ex-demon admitted.

Spike nodded, he turned toward Giles. "Thought so. Glenda should be able to tell us more but I think Red's possessed."

Xander charged toward Spike, hatred sparking in his eyes. "_Take that back_! She's _not_ possessed. Possessed is head spinning around in circles, green slime spewing from the mouth. Willow _can't_ be _possessed_."

Spike raised his arm in defense, accidentally knocking the brunette to the floor. The vampire dropped to his knees with his hands clamped around his head in agony.

Gerald jumped to his feet. "Oh my God! Lord William, are you all right? What's wrong?"

Faith knelt next to her lover as he panted and growled softly, waiting for the electricity to stop shooting into his brain. Xander got up to launch another attack but Anya rushed over and grabbed his arm. Faith glared up at him, warning him with a snarl. "Don't try it."

"Xander, stop. He's right. I've seen things like this before. There's a serious problem here and we need to get it fixed, get Willow fixed." The blonde ex-demon spoke urgently into her fiancé's ear.

"Serves you right, Fangless." The male Scooby grumbled as he dusted himself off. "Wait a minute. _What_ did you call him?" He turned toward the tall skinny stranger hovering over the gasping vampire.

"_Oh Bloody Hell_." Spike growled irritably. "_Stop_ calling me that. My _name_ is _Spike_." He sat back down in his chair not bothering to turn it around so his back was toward the table. He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees and buried his aching head in his hands. A shiver went down his back as he realized his chip's reactions were getting a little too severe.

"But…but I only called you by your given name." Gerald sputtered.

"Who are you?" Xander asked.

"Gerald Whitestone from London and you are?" the detective introduced himself, drawing up to his full height and extended his hand toward the younger man.

"Xander Harris." Xander shook the Brit's hand. "What connection do you have to Fangless here?"

Spike growled a warning. Faith murmured soothingly in his ear, running her fingers through his short platinum hair. "It's ok, Baby. They had to find out sooner or later. Whatever it is they're finding out." She chided gently.

"Sorry, Luv. Didn't know it was gonna play out like this." Spike muttered, drawing her hand to his mouth and kissing her fingers.

"I represent the law firm of…" Gerald began.

"_Rupert_, can we _please_ get back to Red?" Spike raised his voice to drown out the detective.

"Yes, we do need to address that problem before we get immersed in Spike's affairs." The Watcher stated diplomatically.

"There isn't a problem with Willow. I want to know why a law firm is interested in Spike." Xander denied with a vicious smile.

"_Damn it, Harris_! You stupid, sodding _git_." Spike shot up from his chair furiously. "_Willow_ is bloody _possessed_! If we don't do something very soon you will _lose_ her! _Is that what you want_?"

Xander noticed two things during Spike's rant. First, the despised vampire called Willow by name and second, his accent had refined until he sounded freakishly like Giles. For some reason both those observations scared him.

Buffy spoke up for the first time since the engaged couple had entered the shop. "That's why I came to talk to Giles. There is something wrong and we need to figure out what it is and get it fixed." She said in the quiet moment that had fallen over the group in the wake of Spike's fury.

"Right. Now, did Glenda check out that spell?" Spike glanced at the elder Brit.

"I asked her to but I don't know what she found out." Giles answered.

"We need to get her here." Buffy said.

**Summers house….**

"Dawnie! I'm going to the library want to go with?" Tara called up the stairs. She jumped when Willow's voice sounded over her shoulder.

"Hey Sweetie, got homework needs doing?" The redhead asked.

"Um… hey… yup, lots of homework. Thought I'd give Dawn a hand with that report she was talking about at dinner last night. If she thinks it's my idea, she'll go peacefully." Tara forced her voice to be calm and unperturbed as she leaned over to kiss her girlfriend on the lips.

Willow frowned slightly. "Want me to come with?" She asked.

"No, Baby, you said you wanted to finish your laundry." Tara smiled seductively as she leaned in for another kiss. "I wouldn't mind you going around nude, you'd never be able to leave the house again and you'd miss classes. But if that's what you want..." She licked her lips and treated her girlfriend to a hot slow look up and down.

The redhead smiled. "Can't miss class, it would ruin my rep." She pouted. "Okay, it's the dreaded laundry for me. But don't think I'm going to be happy about it."

Tara giggled. "I'll make it up to you. Want me to bring you anything?"

Willow shook her head. "No, but thanks for asking."

Dawn hopped down the stairs. "Ready. Let's go get this stupid report done." She swung her backpack back and forth.

Tara gave Willow another kiss before leading the teenager out to the car.

Willow watched them from the doorway, leaning against the frame. As she watched the car disappear down the street, her pretty features melted from the smile to a scowl. "Why are you lying to me?" The question rumbled out in a voice several notes deeper than her usual tone and dark lightening flashed through her eyes.

**The Magic Box…**

The tinkle of the bell above the door drew everyone's attention away from the latest round of Xander versus Spike. The vampire and the carpenter had squared off again and only their respective girlfriends had kept them from tearing into each other.

Giles and Faith were huddled around Spike at the research table while Buffy and Anya kept Xander company on the step leading into the shop. Giles had finally succeeded in distracting the blond with some forms that need to be completed. Xander had continued baiting the vampire from where he sat.

Gerald had retreated to his chair and was watching in bemused silence, wondering what he'd stumbled into. The people in this town were not like any one else he'd ever met. He'd never dreamed that such people existed. He'd doubted the existence of vampires, thinking that Lord Colin had been delusional at best. Now he was facing the very real world that included not only vampires but witches, demons and everything that went bump in the night he thought he'd outgrown. His life certainly would never be the same again and he was determined to seek Mr. Giles' advice on how to protect himself before he went home.

Spike's mind was racing, he had more than one problem he was attempting to sort out and he was uncertain as to the best course of action. He was stunned at the unbelievable size of the estate his descendants had amassed. He happily filled out the necessary forms to establish his identity, something he never thought he'd want to do. He'd left William Wordsworth far behind and had never, ever wanted to go back to that identity. He'd been happy as Spike, at least until the Initiative had shoved the abomination into his brain that had effectively neutered him as a vampire. He'd formed the alliance with the slayer and her mates strictly for survival, never wanting or needing to make friends with any of them. More than once he'd cursed the bit of William that had remained after his turning. As far as he knew he was unique as a vampire in that a large portion of his mortal humanity had stubbornly remained in residence. He'd subjugated William in a century of blood-soaked mayhem and violence. But the chip had let those bits of William to start surfacing, letting him feel more than he wanted to. It began making him want more than a demon's life. Spike shoved his thoughts about William and his chip to the back of his mind and forced himself to concentrate on the problem with Willow. The jangling of the shop bell brought him out of his ruminations.

He stood up with relief. "Glenda. Thank God. Little Bit, are you all right? Does Red know you're here?" He asked in relief as he moved forward to hug the teenager.

Both girls shook their heads. "No, she doesn't. She thinks we're at the library. At least I hope so. I did the research." She reached in to her bag and pulled some papers out, handing them to Giles. "There's the spell and an account of everything she had to do to cast it."

The Watcher scanned the report and paled. "Oh Dear Lord."


	21. Reclaiming Willow

Reclaiming Willow

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the maniac plot bunny that's been stomping my brains out.

Summary: Desperate measures to save a friend.

Reviews: Yes please. Readers Rock but Reviewers Rule!

A/N: I know it's been a long time but I think I've finally got something worth reading on this fic. Thanks for patiently waiting and thanks for your unfailing support of my other insanities. There's one more chapter left guys!

The name of the demon will be recognizable to anyone who has read/heard Jim Butcher's incredible book, Storm Front. I don't know if I spelled it right, forgot to borrow my son's copy to check, I only go by the audio version read by the incomparable James Marsters. The demon has changed only the name stayed the same.

Many, many thanks to WayWard Childe for his invaluable contribution to Willow's rant.

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Spike frowned at the expression on Giles's face and the paleness of his features.

"Rupert? What's wrong?" He moved over to take the papers from the elder Brit's lax grasp. He scanned the first page, his frown increasing in ferocity. He quickly flipped to the next page and snarled. His laser blue gaze focused on Tara.

"Did you help her? Other than the ritual at the cemetery, I mean. Did you know which spell she was going to use?" His questions were flat and harsh.

"No, she didn't tell me which spell she was using, I trusted her to know." Tara replies softly. "I should have known better."

"Bloody right you should have. Anya?" Spike turned toward the blonde ex-demon.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Do you know anything about Kalshalzak?" Spike nodded when she blanched. "Thought so."

Buffy hesitantly approached her Watcher. "Giles? What's he talking about?"

Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The spell that Willow used to resurrect you allowed a demon to return to this dimension. But he has done so by way of possession of the one who cast the spell. He was a demon that was very powerful in the black arts and was banished to another dimension several centuries ago. Not many people have heard of him. I'm frankly surprised that Spike knows of him."

"Dru was into magic for a while but she couldn't concentrate long enough to make a spell work so she gave up on it. Kalshalzak was one of her role models. Very into evil, was my Dru." The vampire explained with a wistful half smile. "How do you know?"

Giles grimaced. "Some of my friends wanted to resurrect a demon, he was one of the candidates. Fortunately his reputation scared us out of actually going through with it." He cleaned his glasses thoughtfully. "And now an amateur has managed to unleash him."

"He may not be fully unleashed yet, Rupes." Spike ran his hand through his hair distractedly. He returned to the table and began to absentmindedly return his papers to their folder, making sure everything was placed precisely in the proper order. He sighed, his lean features taking on his version of Willow's 'resolve face'. "If there's still a bit of Red left in there we can get her back."

**Summers house…**

Willow closed the door as soon as Tara and Dawn were out of sight. She paced in agitation while she waited. Long minutes later, she knew that her lover and the teenager had reached their destination. She stood in front of the large mirror on the dresser in the room she shared with Tara.

"Revelare." She commanded. The mirror immediately rippled and she saw the interior of the Magic Box shimmer into view. Her pretty face darkened in anger as she saw her lying lover hand over some papers. She watched as Giles read whatever it was Tara had given him. The blond vampire next took the papers and Willow watched the anger spread over his face. He could be a threat. The demon residing in Willow realized. He knew. Somehow the vampire knew. He had to be stopped. She waved a hand across the mirror and restored its reflective state. Her head bent for a moment then snapped up. Her eyes were now completely black. A smirk crossed her face as she began to disappear. It was time for some fun.

**Magic Box…**

Spike turned to Faith. "Take Niblet, Gerry and go. Get a newspaper and go back to the house we stayed in last night. Do me a favor and check the real estate ads. See if you can find something you'd like to look at."

Faith frowned, not understanding why he wanted her to leave. "I want to help."

Spike pulled her into his arms and kissed her protest away. "I want you safe. Please, go protect Dawn. I need to know she's out of this. Besides, don't you want to find out how much money I have? Gerry can tell you. Then you and Dawn can conspire to try to spend as much of it as you can." He murmured in her ear.

Gerald stood up. "Really, Lord William, I prefer to be called 'Gerald'." He protested.

Spike turned with a snarl. "Be happy I don't call you 'Magnum'. Just go with my girl and get away from here."

Faith snagged Dawn's hand and pulled her toward the training room so they could go out the back door. Her slayer senses were screaming at her and she knew they needed to leave. The private detective sputtered but when Giles took him by the arm and propelled him after the dark haired slayer, he gave up and went along quietly.

"Stay out of sight. I'll call you when it's over. Stay safe." Spike had followed his two favorite girls to the door of the training room. He cupped Faith's face in his hands. His deep blue eyes gazed intently into her dark brown ones. "I love you." He stated clearly.

Gasps were heard around the room. The parting couple ignored them. "I love you, too. You die on me I'll kill you." Faith put her hands over his as tears rose in her eyes. Spike dropped his forehead onto hers. He knew it was possible he wouldn't survive the coming confrontation but had hoped she wouldn't realize it. He should have known better. He bit his lip and inhaled deeply.

"Go." He ordered. They went. Just in time. Almost before the back door swung shut the front door blew open and Willow floated in. Literally, her feet were at least six inches above the floor. She gazed around the room haughtily, happy to see the fear on the faces of almost everyone there. She frowned when she realized that a couple of people were missing. The younger slayer and the kid had left. She gave a mental shrug and decided to go after them as soon as she dealt with the current threat.

Spike cursed as he moved back into the main portion of the shop. He'd hoped they would have time to go over the counter-spell to rid themselves of the demon before he completely took over Willow. One look into the witch's black eyes told Spike that time was short. They needed to get rid of the parasite quickly.

Buffy moved to take a position between Willow and Giles. A move that caused Giles to smile a little. He gently took her arms and shuffled her behind him.

"What are you doing?" She whispered.

"I have more experience with magic than you do." He murmured near her ear. "Let me do this."

Spike glanced at them, hearing the exchange. He nodded approvingly at the Watcher's actions and words. Anya and Xander clung together while Tara unobtrusively shifted her position to stand nearer to Spike.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" The voice coming from their friend was deeper than her normal perky tones. "Ripper! My, you have aged since you and your mates considered bringing me back. Too bad you all chickened out. We could have had so much fun." The demon shook its head mock-mournfully.

"Xander! You knew. You knew what they were doing, knew that what all of you were doing was wrong and you did it anyway. You just wanted your precious Buffy back. How can I thank you?" Willow crooned.

Anya inched closer to Xander, grasping his hand almost painfully. The action drew attention to the ex-demon. "Anyanka! Too bad you're not in the vengeance game anymore. Think of the mayhem we could have caused. I see you're a blonde. Does that mean you realized you need to be more like Xander's beloved Buffy?"

The unnatural dark eyes turned to Xander again. "I bet you love it now that Anya has that pretty blond hair with those delicious dark roots. Easier to pretend you're doing Buffy that way, isn't it? Bet you close your eyes during the whole thing, huh? In and out, in and out of the slayer. Your all-mighty superhero, perfect girl, her crying out your name, and then you hit your spot and explode, biting your lip because you almost said 'Buffy'. It's ok... I do it with Tara, too."

The viciousness of the statement caused Tara to pale and gasp. She stepped closer to Spike and grasped his forearm.

The venomous demon turned her black eyes toward the blonde witch. "You really think you're a proper mate to one like me? You're pathetic. You with your stuttering and green magic. Only good deeds. No using the power for personal purposes. Always lecturing on the right way to perform spells."

Feeling Tara's hand tremble on his arm, Spike felt a surge of anger. "_Enough_!" He spat. "Kalshalzak! Leave this plane. Return the witch and go back to the dimension you were banished to." The vampire commanded.

The demon shook its head pityingly. "William. Forced to depend on the food for survival. Aren't you tired of being a sorry, pathetic excuse for a demon?"

"I have no problems with the way things are now." Spike tried to sound more positive than he felt. He'd been fed up with his existence until Faith had entered his life. Now that he was in the position to provide for her and take care of his new love, he didn't want to endanger that. The entire time he'd existed, all he ever wanted was for someone to love him. Now he had that and he was willing to fight to keep it.

"Oh, I don't think so." The demon disagreed.

"Kalshalzak! Leave this dimension. You are not wanted." Spike repeated. His voice was firm and confident. He knew the spell to rid them of this menace. He began the chant.

"Lasci questa dimensione.

Dalmio ordine.

Denomino il vostro nome tre volte.

Farete la mia volonta.

Ritorno!"

Tara recognized the Italian command. She repeated the chant. Rupert's eyebrows climbed up his forehead when he heard Spike's curse but his voice jointed Tara's. Anya glanced at the blond vampire in surprise.

Kalshalzak became incensed. "**_No_**! You will not banish me!" The demon's voice boomed throughout the shop. She raised her hand and pointed at Spike. Spike's slim body stiffened. He rose into the air, Tara's hand dislodging as he levitated. The chant stopped as they watched Spike convulse in mid-air.

"I could help you." The demon crooned. "I think I'll fix your little problem. Join me, William."

Blood began to seep from Spike's nose and ears. His body shuddered before going limp. Kalshalzak motioned with her hand and Spike flew across the room to land in a bloody heap against a bookshelf. He lay there unconscious. The others moved closer together and clasped hands. They took up the chant that Spike had started. Ending the chant by repeating the demon's name three times as directed by the curse. Once finished, they began again. Repeating the chant over and over until the demon began to quake from the force of the magic pounding it.

Kalshalzak shrieked. Willow's petite body shuddering as the demon fought to remain in possession. Her head fell backwards and her mouth opened wide in an earsplitting scream. If Spike had been conscious, his sensitive vampiric ears would have been ringing. The humans in the room winced at the volume but continued with the chant, determined to rid Willow of the parasitic demon. A cloud of black particles poured from Willow's mouth, eyes and ears then flew through the air. It circled the room and, unable to find another suitable vessel, began to dissipate. With a roar that shattered the plate glass window, the demon vanished. Willow collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

Shaky and exhausted, the Scoobies moved over to their fallen friends. Giles and Buffy went to check on Spike's injuries. He was out cold and was still bleeding from his ears and nose.

"What did it do to him?" Buffy asked shakily. She sat on the floor and eased Spike's head onto her lap, unmindful of the blood seeping into her jeans. Giles took out his handkerchief and tried to apply pressure to the vampire's nose.

"I'm not sure but I think maybe it removed the chip." The Watchers said quietly. "Will that be a problem for you?" His sage green eyes searched her tear-filled depths.

"No." She said, gazing down at the unconscious vampire. "Unless he goes on a killing spree, he's safe."

"I seriously doubt that will happen." Giles smiled gently. "He is quite unique."

The blonde slayer carded her fingers through Spike's hair. "Yes, he is. I just realized it way too late."

Xander scooped the limp body of his life-long best friend into his arms and carried her to the sofa in the back of the shop. He tenderly placed her on the cushions. Tara sat with Willow's head in her lap and caressed her love's ashen face. Xander backed away from the couple on the sofa and pulled Anya into his arms.

"Ahn, Honey, you know that thing was lying. Right?" The carpenter asked shakily.

Anya nodded. She raised a hand to Xander's face, caressing his cheek and wiping away a tear he hadn't realized he'd shed. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you, too. So much. You can't imagine." Xander murmured into her hair. He pulled her tighter into his embrace.

Anya snuggled into his chest. His grip was tight but there was no way she was going to protest. It felt safe and right.

Willow's eyelids fluttered. Tara leaned forward over her love's awakening form. "Willow? Baby? Are you all right?" The blonde witch asked softly.

"Tara?" The redhead's voice was weak. "What happened?"

"Just a little consequence of the spell to bring Buffy back but don't worry, we vanquished it." Xander told her as he stood there with his arms folded firmly around his fiancé.

"What? What consequence? What's he talking about?" Willow asked, confusion on her pretty face.

"We'll discuss it later." Giles moved over to check on the rest of his children. He knelt next to the sofa and took Willow's hand. "Are you all right?"

"I think so. I don't remember much. I feel like it's been so long since I've seen any of you." She struggled to sit up. Tara eased her gently back down.

"Rest now, we'll talk later." Tara soothed.

"Yes, please. Rest." Giles smiled at Willow.

Buffy's frightened voice rang out in the quiet room. "Giles! Help!"

They all turned to see what was wrong. The blonde slayer was trying to hold onto Spike's convulsing body. Blood continued to gush from his nose and ears. A growl of pain burst from his lips as his head dropped backwards into Buffy's lap. His throat was taut and strained. His eyes were still closed and he appeared to be unaware of his surroundings.

Xander let go of Anya and rushed to grab onto Spike's feet. He struggled to contain the thrashing legs while he dug into a pocket. He withdrew his pocketknife and tossed it toward Buffy. "Slayer blood. Buff, that will heal him. Quick before he bleeds out." He grunted.

Buffy's wide green eyes stared at her best friend in disbelief. Anya grabbed the knife and Buffy's arm. Her big brown eyes caught the slayer's gaze. "Do you trust me?"

Buffy nodded numbly. Anya quickly made a shallow cut on Buffy's wrist and held it to Spike's mouth. A small stream of the potent blood trickled into the vampire's mouth and down his throat. He swallowed convulsively. The quaking eased and the stiffness of his limbs lessened. His lips fastened on the cut and he pulled two or three more gulps before whimpering and turning his head away. The bleeding from his nose and ears slowed and then stopped completely. The thrashing of his body ceased and Xander eased off the now still legs. The brunette ran a shaking hand through his shaggy hair. Anya moved around and drew him into her arms again.

Buffy returned to running her fingers soothingly through Spike's hair. The vampire was quiet again, the bleeding having stopped completely. He was still unconscious.

Giles had watched in stunned amazement as Xander worked feverishly to save his mortal enemy. Now that the crisis seemed to have passed he approached the shaking Scoobies. "Xander, that was astonishing. I'm very proud of you." The elder Brit said softly.

"Yeah, well. He knew how to save Willow. That counts." Xander mumbled as he cuddled Anya and stared at the floor in embarrassment.

A groan drew their attention to the still prone vampire. "Bloody Hell." Spike's voice was raspy. "My head hurts. Did anyone get the number on the sodding bus?" He moaned when relieved laughter assaulted his poor aching head.


	22. Revelations

Revelations

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a totally awesome 'Spike' coat (early birthday pressie).

Summary: Cleaning up and explaining.

Reviews: Yes please. The response to this fic has been incredible and blows my mind. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: This fic is finished. I want to thank WayWard Childe for his continued support and invaluable assistance in writing it. Everyone still needs to go over to BTVS Crossovers and read 'Blood Knights In Gotham'. Read and review it please, it's awesome.

I have another evil bunny plot (aside from 'Resurrected') I've already written most of the first chapter on, much to WayWard's annoyance, we're supposed to work on the sequel to 'Luck Of The Vampire' next. We will, I swear. I'm getting this multiple WIP thing down.

Thanks for the reviews and never-ending support guys. You will never know just how much it all means to me. Thank you from the bottom of my evil little heart.

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Faith heard the front door blow open and stopped in the alley behind the shop. Dawn stood watching the brunette slayer with wide crystalline blue eyes. Gerald leaned against the wall and tried to calm his racing heart.

"What are you doing? Lord William told us to leave." The detective panted.

Faith nodded, distracted by the sounds coming from inside the building. "I know, but I don't think this is gonna last long." She gazed around the alley, looking for somewhere to hide her charges so she could go back and help her lover. Something Spike had murmured in her ear came back. She looked at Gerald. "How much money _does_ he have anyway?"

Gerald shuffled uncomfortably. "I really shouldn't reveal…"

"Spike told me to ask you. He said you know. So spill it." Faith tried to distract Dawn away from what might be happening in the shop with her line of questioning.

Dawn looked up at the tall private detective. "Spike's rich?" She asked.

Gerald nodded hesitantly. "Yes, very." He answered.

Faith sauntered over and stood directly in front of the uneasy Brit. "Just how much is included in 'very'." She ran a finger up Gerald's shirt buttons.

Gerald gulped audibly and named a sum that had both females gasping in shock. Dawn's eyes widened impossibly. "And he's titled? He really is 'Lord William'?" She questioned.

The Brit nodded. "Um… yes. Look, I really shouldn't be telling you all of this. It _is_ his business. you know."

Faith grinned. "Kid, you and I are going shopping as soon as English says it's okay." She slung her arm around the slender teenager. "I know there's stuff you've been dying to get."

Dawn thought about if for a few minutes before a huge grin spread over her pretty face. "Oh, yeah. Can Buffy come too?" She asked shyly.

Faith considered the question. "If Spike says she can, then yeah." She finally told Dawn.

The teen nodded understandingly.

The brunette slayer's attention was drawn to the Magic Box as a deafening roar and the sound of shattering glass echoed in the night. Absolute silence reigned for long anxious minutes while they waited tensely to see if the danger had passed or if they were next on the menu.

"Wait here." Faith ordered as she opened the back door. Dawn waited only a few seconds before following the slayer back into the training room. The teenager crept up behind Faith as she eased the door leading into the main part of the store open. Faith put her arm behind her to hold Dawn in place as she watched to make sure it was all right to proceed. The scene held both girls in stunned silence as they watched Buffy, Anya and Xander fight to save Spike. Dawn grasped Faith's upper arm in fear as she saw the amount of blood surrounding their favorite vampire.

Faith's forehead dropped to the door frame as her love's body slumped to the floor. She began to shake as she fought back tears of terror. Dawn's hand tightened when a groan echoed throughout the room. The sweetest sound Faith had ever heard in her entire life was the raspy 'Bloody Hell' that followed that pain-filled groan. She laughed with the rest when her Tigger asked about the 'sodding bus'. Wiping the evidence of her relief from her face, she put a trembling hand over Dawn's.

"Come on, Kid, let's go kick his ass for getting hurt." Faith said huskily.

Buffy looked up guiltily when the younger slayer walked over and knelt next to the groggy vampire. Faith's dark eyes scanned the pool of blood the blond couple was sitting in. "You do know that it's far healthier to keep the red stuff inside the body?" Her voice hitched as she asked the facetious question.

"Yeah, Luv. I had heard that rumor. I thought I told you to leave." Spike's hazy blue eyes checked his slayer for damage.

"We heard the racket and decided to stay undercover in the alley. Didn't want to get too far away from you. Didn't know what kind of trouble you'd get up to without me here." Buffy started to ease out from under Spike's still limp body. "No, B, don't move. It's okay. I saw what you did. Thank you." Faith stopped her.

"It was the least I could do." Buffy gazed down at Spike, still unconsciously running her fingers through his hair.

Xander shifted uncomfortably. Anya looked up at him in puzzlement. "I'll just go and heat up some blood for Captain Peroxide here." The carpenter said.

"I'll help you." Anya kept her arm securely around his waist as they moved away.

"Damn, the Xan-man really came through this time, huh?" Faith watched the couple leave.

Buffy smiled mistily. "Yeah, he did."

"What did that damned demon do to me?" Spike asked weakly. "My head is splitting."

Buffy stilled for a moment before continuing to caress the vampire's aching head. "Giles and I believe that Kalshalzak removed your chip. That's why you were bleeding so badly and why your head hurts." She said softly.

Spike closed his eyes. "Gonna stake me then, Slayer?" He whispered.

"No! God, no. You saved Willow. Unless you start killing again, you're safe from the stake." Buffy told him.

"Red's all right then?" Spike tried to sit up so he could check on Willow. Faith put her hand on his chest and held him down. It was frighteningly easy.

Buffy smiled. "Yes, she'll be fine. Thanks to you."

Xander returned with a large mug of heated blood. Anya had recovered enough to go check on her cash register. Giles and Dawn began attempting to clean up the glass from the window so they could try to secure the store for the night. Buffy pulled Spike into a reclining position against her shoulder while Faith held the mug for him to sip the blood.

Gerald hovered in the background unsure just what he should be doing to help. He picked up the folder from the table, amazed it was still intact. He sat down as his legs gave out. Suddenly, he couldn't wait to go home.

Xander quietly moved over to help Giles and Dawn. Taking a small tape measure from his pocket, he measured the opening so he could nail a sheet of wood over it. He thought maybe there was one in the basement that would work. A hammer and some nails from his car and he'd have the job done in no time.

Spike finished the mug and sighed, his energy slowly returning. Faith smiled down at him tenderly. "So, Tigger. Ready to go home and clean up?" She asked.

Buffy frowned in confusion. "Why do you call him 'Tigger'?"

Faith grinned. "Have you ever been trapped in a house with him after he's had too much chocolate?"

The blonde slayer shook her head. "No."

"I have." The younger slayer nodded toward the lethargic vampire. A lascivious glint entered her dark eyes. "Tigger on speed is the best way to describe it. Can be fun though."

Buffy smiled at the image, her green eyes sparkling. "I can imagine." Her hand carded through Spike's hair one last time as her other arm encircled his leanly muscled chest in a hug. "Take him home. But you might want to keep him out of the chocolate for a day or two."

Tara and Willow walked slowly over. The blonde witch was supporting her love with a firm arm around the waist. "Spike." Willow began. The vampire let Faith pull him upright. He wavered for a moment with both slayers ready to catch him should he fall.

"Red. Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded. "Thank you."

He relaxed against Faith as she slipped her strong arms around his waist. "You're welcome." He smiled. "Make me some cookies and we'll call it even."

Willow nodded. "You got it. Chocolate chip okay?" Giggles from both slayers met her question.

"That would be great, Red." Spike told her wearily.

Xander finished blocking the broken window and door. They all turned to leave by way of the back door. It was an exhausted group that slowly moved through the shop to go home and recover.

Gerald wavered uncertainly. "Um… Lord William? What should I do now?" He didn't mean to sound so insecure but he did feel completely out of his depth.

Spike lifted his aching head. "Just take the folder with you and I'll meet you back here tomorrow night, yeah?"

The private detective nodded jerkily. "Are you going to be all right?" Surprising himself with his concern.

The blond vampire smiled slightly. "Yeah, Mate. One of the bonuses of being a vampire. Good as new in no time."

Giles patted his countryman on the shoulder. "We'll meet here at sunset. Let's all go home."

Buffy grasped Dawn's hand in a firm hold, unwilling to let her sister out of sight. Tara kept her arms around Willow the same way Faith had a hold of Spike. Xander and Anya walked through the shop with their arms around each other in mutual support. Giles followed his children as they supported each other, united by the near disaster. The healing had already begun.

**The next day…**

Fortunately it was Saturday, so everyone had a chance to recuperate somewhat from the events of the night before. Xander had appeared at the Magic Box in mid-afternoon with a new plate glass window and a new door. Not for the first time, his carpentry skills and contacts came in handy for repairing the damage evil inflicted. He was happy to be able to contribute something. It was sunset by the time he finished and the rest of the gang began to drift in. Giles had been there since morning, first putting the store back to rights and then helping Xander with the repairs. As soon as they were finished the Watcher called and ordered pizza for them all. Buffy, Dawn, Tara and Willow arrived together, none of them willing to be very far way from each other. Anya had stayed at the shop with the men, quietly watching them work on the repairs.

Gerald arrived just as the sun finished sinking into the horizon. He was clutching his briefcase and jumping at every imagined noise.

Spike and Faith arrived shortly after the private detective. Faith had a tendency to watch her vampire with large solemn dark eyes, unwilling to let him stray far from her protection.

Giles motioned for Spike to join him in the alcove. As soon as they were alone, Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them distractedly. "Have you been able to test whether or not the chip is still there?"

Spike inhaled deeply, closing his eyes tiredly. "Yeah. Faith made me pinch her to check. No pain. The chip is history." The blond vampire was very pale and confessed to Giles that he still had a bit of a headache.

The Watcher replaced his glasses. "And what do you plan to do now?" He questioned quietly.

"About the chip?" Spike asked. At Rupert's nod, he smiled. "Nothing. I'm going to claim my inheritance and wherever Faith wants to live, buy a house. I hope she wants to stay with me. If not, I'll make other plans. I don't know why this cousin of mine did what he did but I'm not going to waste it. I'm not just a vampire anymore. I don't live for the kill. I've always been a miserable excuse for a vampire, now I can afford to not care."

Rupert smiled. "Did Faith find out how much money you have?"

Spike laughed, then winced as his head protested. "Yeah, she made Gerry tell her. She's pretty freaked _but_ she's making plans to go shopping with Niblet. Apparently the Bit has quite a list already. They've been on the phone most of the day." He sighed. "It's so nice to see Faith acting like a _girl_."

Giles chuckled. "It is very nice." He agreed. "Now let's go satisfy their curiosity. I'm sure they're dying out there."

Spike grimaced. "I have no doubt. If any of them spills my secrets to the Wanker's Council, can I eat them?"

"If they tell, I'll hold them for you." Giles promised.

The two of them moved back into the main portion of the shop. Faith immediately walked over and slipped her arms around her vampire. "Hey, Tig. You okay?"

He pressed a quick kiss onto her temple. "I'm good, Luv."

Xander walked up to the couple and stuck his hand out for Spike to shake. After a moment of stunned silence, Spike took the proffered hand. "Thanks for saving Willow." The carpenter murmured.

"Just glad I knew what to do." Spike ducked his head in embarrassment, much to the amusement of everyone watching.

Xander's mouth dropped open. "Are you _blushing_?" He snickered.

The blond vampire snarled. "Shut it, Harris."

Laughter echoed through the room. Giles cleaned his glasses as the tension eased. "Well, now that hostilities are back in force, I believe some explanations are in order." He extended his hand to Gerald and motioned the detective forward.

"Everyone, for those of you who missed it, this is Gerald Whitestone. He is a private detective from London representing the law firm of Colson, Waverly and Hunter." The Watcher replaced his glasses. He motioned for everyone to take a seat around the table. Spike retreated to his normal place on the stairs with Faith in front of him one step below. When everyone was seated, he began again.

"Before we begin, I must inform you that none of the information you are about to hear can leave this room. If the Watcher's Council or anyone associated with Angel hears about any of this, not only have I given Spike permission to eat the offending party but I volunteered to hold the victim. Is that clear?" His sharp gaze touched on each one of his adopted family. He smiled in satisfaction when they each nodded their understanding.

"That means the chip is gone, right?" Dawn asked. She looked up at Spike hopefully. She hated the chip and the Initiative who'd installed it. Part of her realized that without the chip, she would never have known the 'real' Spike but ignored that little niggle of reason.

"Yes, Dawn, the chip is gone. But I believe you can all see that it makes no difference in his behavior." Giles indicated Spike lounging position on the stairs. As soon as the elder Brit's back was turned, Spike allowed a hint of fang and a teasing gleam of gold to enter his sparkling eyes. Several Scoobies giggled. Without turning around or missing a beat, Giles admonished the playful bloodsucker. "Spike, behave."

Buffy snorted. "That'll be the day." The vampire stuck his tongue out at the blonde slayer. She twirled a stake in a mock-threat. Neither of them posing a threat to the other. "Dawn has been on the phone with Faith all day about some shopping trip they're planning. Is the Bleached Wonder over there rich or something?"

Gerald smiled and placed his briefcase on the table. "Why, yes. Lord William is very well off. As of last week his estate, aside from various properties, amounted to somewhere around the sum of 500 million dollars, American." Stunned silence greeted the announcement. Spike smirked at the gobsmacked expressions on the faces now turned toward him. The only ones not showing any surprise were Giles, Dawn and Faith. The detective took advantage of the quiet to pull the envelope from the folder and take it over to Spike. "Lord Colin left explicit instructions for whoever found you to make sure you read this."

Spike took the envelope and leaned away from Faith so he could open it. Shock filled his sapphire eyes as he scanned the contents once before returning to the top of the first page to read it more thoroughly. He could hear Giles filling the others in on his life story but as he got further into the letter, all background noise disappeared.

_**Dear William – or should I address this to 'Spike'?**_

_**Either way, I am your several generations removed cousin. I won't go into the details; I have included a family tree so you can see where we all fit in. How do I know you prefer to be known as 'Spike'? Well, dear boy, I know who you are. You are a vampire. You were sired by Drusilla and Angelus in 1880, regrettably in the prime of your life. I investigated the circumstances of your turning quite thoroughly and I assure you there is very little about you that I do not know. Except, regrettably, your current whereabouts as I lost track of you after the incident in Prague. I do hope that your Drusilla recovered. Do not worry; I did not share my information with the Watcher's Council. Yes, I know about them and slayers and a great deal of vampire lore. I will admit to shamelessly making use of the Council's resources to further my research on you even though their information is sadly lacking in accuracy. I know how you acquired your nickname. The rumors of the reasons behind your revenge were very specific and I might have done the same in your position. **_

_**Now, I'll bet you are wondering why I'm sharing all of this with you. Well, quite simply, if you are reading this then I am dead and the law firm I hired has held your assets in trust until you could be found. I would also wager that you are wondering why I would do that. The thing of it, dear boy, is that I feel you were cheated. That you would have had a full life were it not for those vampires, although much of my research indicates that you have a gleeful appreciation for your undead status. I am regretfully without any heirs to leave the title and estate to so I arranged for proper documentation to allow you to be 'found' as the long lost descendant to one William James Wordsworth. **_

_**Was this an unusual course of action? Yes, absolutely. Why would I give it all back to you when I could have given it to charity or otherwise disposed of the estate? The answer is very simple. You are unique. As I said, I have done extensive research on you and you impressed me with your loyalty to Drusilla. Surprised? I would assume so. I made a habit of frequenting demon bars. Yes, there are a few if you know where to look. Which, given your reputation, you know very well where each and every one of them is located. I also hired the occasional demon to investigate your activities. I was quite pleasantly surprised to find that not all demons hunger for human death. That they wish to merely exist within this world peacefully and prosperously. **_

_**If only the aforementioned Watcher's Council would have made the same discovery the world would be a much more peaceful place and the job done by the slayers would not be nearly as difficult. I mean really, I do know that you successfully fought and killed two slayers in your time. Such is the way between the vampire and the slayer. But I have wisely kept my opinions to myself, I don't wish to run afoul of the…what was it you call them in your atrocious accent? Oh, yes, Wanker's Council. How do I know about your accent? My boy, it is legendary. I have had many demons quote you and yes, they did know of the relationship. Oddly enough it afforded me a small measure of protection. The demon community seems to think that you are immensely loyal to family. Unusual reputation to have as a Master Vampire, I must say. It is a trait I believe we share which would explain why I chose to return your rightful title and estate to you. **_

_**Those who know of my research into you and your exploits believe that I am a certifiable crackpot. I have had more than one person threaten to lock me away in a padded cell, but then having the title and assets backing me, none of them succeeded. **_

_**I regret that I was unable to find you while I was alive, I would have given much to meet you. Enjoy your good fortune, my boy. It is long past due.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Your cousin (several times removed of course)**_

_**Lord Colin Wordsworth.**_

Spike folded the letter in bemusement, sticking it back in the envelope. He'd show it to Faith later. In all of his long unlife, he'd never imagined anything like this happening. Apparently it was quite real. He buried his face in Faith's fragrant hair for a moment to gain control of his emotions.

"Tigger? You okay back there?" Faith murmured.

"Yeah, Robin. I'm great." Spike smiled. He raised his head and gazed around the room at the rapt faces of the young people gathered around the table. He couldn't believe his good fortune. It seemed that at long last he had everything he'd ever wanted. He had acceptance, love and, eccentric and eclectic as they were, a family. Unlife just didn't get any better.

_**Finis**_


End file.
